Rose
by ayabean
Summary: A rose can only have so many petals and thorns.
1. Chapter 1

Rose

Thorn #1

* * *

"Ah! Shisui-san, you're early today."

She was just a measly flower shop owner in Konohagakure, someone who would sell flowers to all, both young and old.

She smiled warmly at the shinobi as he walked in with a smile on his face. "The usual?" She came away from the counter after taking a pair of scissors and headed to the right side of the store, to the roses.

Shisui let out a hum in agreement, looking around the store that he'd been to so many times. It was still the same old, the only difference was where the different species of flowers would sit. There was natural light everywhere and it calmed him since it was furnished comfortably, similar to someone's home but in a shop.

His onyx eyes flickered to the woman who owned the shop, someone he'd come to know quite well. His gaze lingered on her back, admiring how her medium length silvery-brown hair would drape over her left shoulder like a silky curtain, even in the ponytail that it was in.

"Koharu," Shisui chuckled when her name left his lips; it wasn't a foreign word, but rather a word of comfort.

"Hm?" The female turned to meet his eyes with her own amber coloured ones, wondering what was up. She had just cut a couple of roses and were beginning to remove the thorns.

"You don't need to address me with '-san', you know. We've known each other for a while now." The ninja rubbed the nape of his neck with a smile.

"Is that so?" She let out a giggle and headed over back to the counter, slowly putting together and wrapping the bottom half of the roses with a thin piece of coloured paper after removing the thorns.

Shisui just watched her hands. He always found himself observing her, seeing how skilful she was. It was almost mesmerising.

"Shisui, it's done." She handed him the roses.

Snapping out of his trance, the ANBU levelled shinobi smiled at her and took the roses, his fingers brushing against hers. At this motion, he observed the female, seeing that her eyes had flickered to their hands, then back at him. A warm colour came to her cheeks as she pulled her hand away.

"Thank you as always, Koharu."

"That's fine. I hope your parents are doing well. Oh, and of course, you too, Shisui." Koharu then remembered something, clapping her hands together, "Ah! I just remembered! Shisui, please stay here for a moment, I'll be right back!" She went to the back of the store, leaving him at the front.

Shisui just stood there, holding the roses. He wasn't sure what she had remembered, but hearing her say his name without honorifics was something he found special.

He fished out a coin from inside his pocket, placing it on the counter as payment for the roses. Every second or third day he would visit the flower shop to buy a couple of roses. It was something that started a few years ago, and from then on, he had come to the same store, to buy the same thing.

At that time, Koharu was working there. She was a few years older than he was, and a bundle of morning sunshine. Even though she was older than him, she still referred to him with honorifics, which surprised him.

It became something of a routine that he couldn't break himself of.

He looked to the pin board behind the counter. What caught his eye was a flier of the festival that would be happening in a few days' time. He thought for a moment.

Shisui heard footsteps as Koharu came back, holding something small in her hands. It seemed to be a vase of some sort. She placed it on the table, letting Shisui examine it.

"This is for you, Shisui! I forgot to give it to you a few times, so I'm glad I finally remembered!" Koharu grinned.

"For me?" His brows rose as he took the small vase in his hands. It was half the size of his hand, focusing more on vertical height. It was fully made of glass, but the glass itself had a few petals here and there, all of which he noticed were real.

"Yup! It took me a while to make, but I hope it's to your liking."

"You made this?" Shisui felt some warmth spreading his chest as he stared at her in awe. "That's amazing!"

Koharu blushed at his compliment, shaking her head, "N-no way! It's just something that I made when thinking of you…ah." She stopped herself, feeling her face go tomato red. She waved her hands in front of her, seeing his surprised expression. "N-no! I mean I was thinking about how you're always buying flowers and how you're probably using the same vase and it might be old and that you might need a new one and, and yeah…" She trailed off, her fast paced rambling coming to an end.

Shisui stared at her for a long moment, stunned. He let out a laugh, finding it cute that she was so flustered.

"Don't laugh at me!" She crossed her arms and looked away.

"No, no, it's just that you're a very interesting person." Shisui grinned and took the vase, "Thanks for the vase, I'll use it well." He gave her a nod before starting to leave the store.

Looking back to him, Koharu smiled softly, "Give my regards to your parents." She waved once, earning a returning wave until he wasn't in sight anymore.

After a few moments, Koharu's hand dropped to her side as she went to the back of the store.

Shisui looked at the vase, staring at it as he walked back to the Uchiha compound. It was the late morning, and he had a mission later in the day. In times when he had missions and didn't come home for a while, he'd normally tell Koharu and tell her to deliver some flowers to his house.

The ANBU member was greeted by his cousin, Itachi, who stood outside of the Uchiha compound, waiting for him.

Itachi was young, but he wasn't an idiot. That was how he made a name for himself in the shinobi world.

"I've noticed you're always going to the flower shop to get roses." Itachi commented. He stared at the vase and roses in his best friend's hands, "Did you get a vase, too?"

Shisui grinned and handed it to Itachi for him to see, "She made this for me."

Itachi knew right away who his friend was talking about.

Noticing that Shisui's smile was even more radiant than it was before, Itachi raised a brow, but a small smile was on his features. He looked at the intricate details on the vase, nodding his head in appreciation. "It's very nice."

"Is that all you have to say?" Shisui chuckled and took it back from him.

"Yes. It's a lovely design." Itachi paused for a moment, staring at Shisui with a thoughtful expression, "Is she the reason you go to that specific flower shop?" He always had that question lingering at the back of his mind, but was hesitant to ask it.

Shisui made a funny sound, having been caught. He laughed lightly, rubbing the nape of his neck nervously. "Is it that obvious?"

"I'm not sure." The prodigy turned to go inside the compound, "Come on, we need to get ready for the mission."

Shisui's onyx coloured eyes darkened slightly when he remembered the contents of the mission.

It was an ANBU mission from the Hokage himself, but it was more of an information gathering mission rather than a stealth and attack one.

He didn't mind too much, but the problem was where he was gathering information. The mission was based in Konoha, where there were rumours of a shinobi that had gone around killing innocent villagers; someone who had infiltrated the system.

Shisui followed after Itachi, looking towards the way that he had come from the flower shop. He was worried that this shinobi would go after Koharu.

After all, this rogue's operatus modi was to target beautiful young women.


	2. Chapter 2

Rose

Thorn #2

* * *

Koharu tapped the pen against her chin, staring up at the ceiling. She was trying to think of the next batch of flowers she would need to order, and making predictions about what her customers would buy next.

 _Would Shisui like colours other than red, though?_ She found her thoughts drifting back to one of her regulars. _He's been ordering the same thing for so long; I wonder if he'd like anything else?_

She tilted her head slightly to the side, continuing her habit. She decided to just get what she would normally, writing it down to make sure she wouldn't forget. She pinned it onto the board that was behind the counter, marking in red the date that she would meet the supplier.

"Okay, time to open up!"

* * *

"Did you get any leads?" Shisui questioned Itachi. He made sure that no one was around to hear them. It was a classified mission.

Itachi paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "The first 4 victims were killed inside their home, so no one bore witness. The most recent ones have been in public places."

Shisui placed a hand on his hip, thinking. "Why would they target in public places? It would be easier for them to get caught." He paused for a second, seeing Itachi's knowing look. "Unless they're purposely doing this."

Itachi glanced towards the direction of the village, then back at Shisui. "Shisui, you should make sure she is alright." He warned.

It was one thing that she was at the flower shop by herself, but it's another if she matched with the operatus modi and was defenceless.

The older Uchiha pressed his lips together only just slightly, but enough to let Itachi know that he was going to do just that. "I'll check up on her later. We have to go on a mission soon, don't we?" It was the same mission, but this time, they'd be expanding their territory and keeping close tabs on certain people that have paid them for their protection (AKA the rich kids).

Itachi didn't say anything in return, only putting on his ANBU mask and making a hand sign, disappearing from sight.

Shisui did the same, pushing the thought of Koharu in danger to the back of his mind.

* * *

Once Shisui finished his part of the mission, he changed into something comfortable and headed to the flower shop. Of course, he was going to get the same thing as always, but he also wanted to get something else so that he could gift it to Koharu, and invite her out to the festival that was happening in a few days' time.

He hoped that she was alright—she never really forced herself to stand out, even as the owner of one of the most well-known flower shops in Konoha. But even if she herself didn't stand out due to the cover of the flower shop, those who frequented it or passed by it often knew of the beautiful woman who owned it.

 _And that's the biggest problem here._ Shisui's fingers curled around the coins in his pocket.

Heaving a deep breath in, Shisui opened the door to the flower shop. The bell rung a few times, but the stench of blood hit his nose like Itachi's punch to his face.

His eyes widened as his nostrils flared, obviously not expecting anything like this. He wrinkled his nose, momentarily stunned, before going in and taking a look around, saying Koharu's name a couple of times.

"Koharu?" He called, eyes looking around the shop. It was the late afternoon but the sun had yet to set fully, leaving everything to be basked in orange.

He glanced at the ground, seeing blood smears here and there which seemed to have been recent and not cleaned up. A few flower pots had finger sized blood prints on it, sending nervous chills down Shisui's spine as he thought of what would have happened in the shop.

"Koharu?!" He called again, slight desperation in his voice. He was about to head to the back where Koharu stored things, but the door's bell ringing forced him out of it as he turned to look at who had come in.

"Shisui? Are you okay? I heard you calling my name." Koharu stepped inside the store, holding a few papers. She had a confused expression on her face, but when Shisui saw her, he immediately engulfed her into a strong hug, surprising the female.

"W-wha, what's wrong Shisui?!" She stammered.

He let her go almost abruptly when he realised what he was doing, apologizing to her profusely.

"Eh…it's, it's okay, Shisui." The flower shop owner tried to calm him down, but seeing the relief on his face made her wonder what happened. "Is everything alright?"

The ANBU member didn't know whether to nod or shake his head. On a plus side things seemed to be fine, but what worried him was the blood stains and stench. They weren't there yesterday.

 _And it's definitely not a cut or anything of the sort._ His eyes glazed over her fingers and clothing, seeing that there were no cuts on either.

"Shisui?" Koharu waved her hand in front of his face, snapping him out of his light trance. "Earth to Shisui!"

"Y-yeah?" He was a little taken aback.

"Didn't you see the sign at the front? It said that I would be back in 20." She tapped the glass door. "It's a good thing it's just you, so there won't be any robberies of the sort."

"Speaking of robberies…" Shisui glanced at the blood on the ground and flower pots.

"Ah." Koharu held up the papers that she had with her, "Just before, someone came into the store and was bleeding quite a bit, so I brought him to the hospital. That's why there's quite a bit of blood." She took a glance at the male, seeing the relief settle in and his gaze soften.

"Was he a ninja?" Shisui questioned, astonished that something like that happened. It wasn't every day that an injured person came asking for help.

Koharu thought for a moment, before shrugging lightly, "I'm not exactly sure. He didn't seem to be wearing any ninja clothing."

 _Could it be…?_ Shisui questioned. _Nah, it can't be. If it was that guy she'd be dead by now._

With a relieved sigh, he fell to a crouching position, hanging his head. He rubbed his neck gently, looking up at her, "I'm glad you're safe."

With a questioning look, Koharu let a warm smile come to her lips as she crouched down with him, "Thank you for worrying about me."

Seeing her up close like this made the male's cheeks dust a baby pink. His ears slowly started to turn red at the distance between them, but it wasn't noticeable in the orange that illuminated everything.

Koharu patted his shoulder and stood up, "So is it the usual today?" She went to the roses.

Shisui made a hum of approval and stood back up, heading over to her. Like always, he watched her cut the roses and remove the thorns, admiring how she did so. She was so gentle with them, just like she was personally.

"You know, Shisui, you watch me every time. Did you want to try cutting them as well?" Koharu turned to him with a small smile. She had finished doing one of them, but the other had yet to be started.

Shisui opened his mouth, about to decline, but then he thought about it, noticing that it was another way to get closer to her.

 _But that's just an ulterior motive…_ Shisui thought with an internal sigh. He didn't mind learning how to do stuff like that and it might come in handy in the future, but right now he wasn't so sure.

"Maybe next time." Shisui grinned. Koharu had a hopeful spark in her eyes as she nodded and continued.

The shinobi turned to the blood stains and stared at them for a moment, then headed to the door and opened it, leaving it open so that the stench of blood was replaced with fresh air.

"I'll help you clean the blood stains off." Shisui suggested.

"Ah, you don't have to—"

"It's fine, I'm here anyway, so I might as well help."

"Okay…thank you! The cleaning supplies are at the back, in the left shelf."

With a nod, he headed to the back and grabbed the cleaning supplies, proceeding in helping her out.

When Koharu finished with the flowers, she left them on the counter and helped Shisui until the store was spotless.

"Thanks for the help!" She thanked him yet again, wiping her brow. "It would have taken a long time to clean it if I had left it any longer."

"No problem." Shisui grinned widely, going to wash the towels. When he came back, Koharu was waiting at the counter with two hot cups of tea and a few snacks.

"Good work today!" She smiled, patting the table. "There's a chair for you on the other side. Don't worry about other people coming, I've already closed shop for today."

Shisui wordlessly made his way over and sat down in front of her, holding onto the cup of tea to warm his hand up.

"How are you parents?" Koharu asked, blowing on the tea and taking a light sip.

"Mother is fine, but since she's taking care of father, it's a little hard on her." Shisui scratched his cheek gently. "Father has to take regular check-ups to make sure he's all good."

"Ah! That's right, your father's leg…" Koharu remembered the sad detail about Shisui's current family situation.

Shisui's father lost his leg in the previous Great War, and even caught an illness from that injury that confined him to the bed. He had to have regular check-ups with the doctor that visits their house. Needless to say, Shisui was the breadwinner of the family.

Seeing her silence, Shisui continued, "He's getting remarkably emaciated; he doesn't even recognise me."

Koharu stiffened at the sadness that laced Shisui's voice, wondering what would cheer him up. She pushed a snack towards him. "I'm sure that, even if he doesn't recognise you, he still has you in his heart. Don't doubt a parent's love to their child."

Hearing those words from her was a surprise to him, but it made him smile. "Is that so…" He picked up the snack and started eating, prompting her to eat one too.

"What about you? How are things on your side?" He asked.

"On my side…it's the normal, really. They want me to get married and get a boyfriend and give them grandchildren." Koharu sweat dropped. "But I don't even have one so I can't anyway. Plus, I have to look after this store and that's already enough to fill my time."

Shisui pressed his lips together, but she couldn't see, due to them being behind the tea cup. He was debating whether or not to ask her out now whilst the conversation was still on it, or not. He didn't even have the flower that he planned to give her when he asked her out!

"Koharu, are you free in a few days' time?" The words came out of his mouth before he could even think through. He held in a gasp that threatened to spill, seeing her dumbfounded expression. "Ah, no, um, sorry, I—"

"Yes, I am." She smiled at him.

The ANBU member looked at her with wide eyes. Did she know where this was going and was she trying to encourage him to go on?

With a nervous gulp, Shisui put the cup down, "Let's go to the festival together." There, he said it. It was amazing that it even left his mouth in the first place. This was an area that he had no expertise in.

Koharu's smile widened as she nodded enthusiastically, "I'd love to!"

He was so prepared for rejection that he immediately said, "Sorry! I shouldn't have asked!" right after she agreed. Once he finished his sentence, a silence awaited, before he let out a shocked sound, eyes wide with astonishment that she had agreed.

"Shisui, you're really red right now!" Koharu teased, laughing. "I said that I'd love to go with you!"

Shisui leaned on the counter, covering his reddened face with his arms, happiness doing somersaults within him.

Koharu let out a gentle laugh at his reaction, finding it cute.

"I'll be in your care!"


	3. Chapter 3

Rose

Thorn #3

* * *

Koharu went to check up on the person who had come to her shop injured, bringing some flowers to wish them a speedy recovery. However, when she went to the room where they were being hospitalised, she saw that there was a commotion.

Peering in, a nurse noticed her and asked if she was here to visit the patient, in which she nodded to.

"I'm sorry, but…he's passed away from his injuries last night." The nurse said apologetically, a gloomy look in her dark eyes.

"Ah…" Koharu's lips parted and her eyes widened, feeling a form of sadness settle in when she saw them take out the body, all of it covered in a large blue sheet. As it passed, she put down the small bouquet of daffodils and irises onto the sheet, clasping her hands together as if in a silent prayer.

 _Rest in peace, mister._ Koharu headed off back to her shop, but on the way there, she saw a large poster of the upcoming festival. It immediately brightened her mood, remembering that she'd be going with Shisui.

 _There'll even be fireworks!_ She beamed to herself. Her steps became skips as she continued, buying a meat bun on the way for breakfast.

It was still early, so her shop wasn't open. So when she saw someone outside of her shop, she leaned forward to see who it was, curiously letting out an 'ooh?' before heading to them.

"Hello! Are you okay there?" She asked with a bright smile.

It was small boy, no older than 7 or 8, looking into the shop. He had dark hair that was shaped like a duck's butt, and had side bangs that squared his face. He reminded her of someone.

"Ah!" The boy looked to her, surprised. He turned to her, "Are you the owner of this shop?"

Koharu nodded, crouching down to the boy's height. "Yup! The shop's not open yet, though. Did you want to get something? I can open the shop earlier for you." When she looked at the boy close up, she saw an uncanny resemblance to an Uchiha she knew.

He rummaged through his pocket to give something to her, handing her an envelope. "Shisui-san told me to give the owner of the shop this! Koharu-san, right?"

Hearing his name, Koharu nodded, taking the letter. She gently pet the top of his head, "Thank you! Um…Uchiha-kun?"

"It's Sasuke." The boy pushed her hand away from his head, with a small pout, cheeks slightly pink.

 _Aww…is he a tsundere?_ Koharu giggled.

"Okay. Thank you Sasuke-kun!"

"Hmph! It was nothing!" And he went off.

The adult stood up and went into her shop, sitting at the counter to take a look at the letter. When she opened it, she could almost smell the roses that Shisui always bought.

 **Koharu, I'll be on a mission until the day of festival. If it is fine with you, can you deliver two roses to my house each day? Thanks in advance; I've left the payment on the desk in my room.**

 **Also, on the day of the festival, please meet me by the bridge where it's held at 6pm.**

 **I'll be waiting.**

The message was short but precise. It made her heart flutter at the last part.

 _It sounds like a real date,_ she stared at the letter and then smiled, putting it back into the envelope.

* * *

"Hello, I'm Koharu from the flower shop." The female bowed to Shisui's mother, who had opened the door for her when she came to deliver the roses.

"Oh! Hello there." She smiled. "Please, come in!"

Koharu didn't fail to notice the bags under her eyes, ones which were there because of the lack of sleep since she had to care for her husband.

"Thank you." Koharu stepped in after taking off her shoes. The house smelled of roses.

She carried a couple of roses with her, going straight to the table there her gifted vase sat.

She smiled warmly when she saw it, prompting Shisui's mother to speak.

"Shisui said that you made this. Thank you; it looks beautiful." She complimented.

Koharu blushed, shaking her head, "I still have a long way to go…"

"I'll be looking forward to your new creations then." The older woman's eyes wrinkled when she smiled.

"I'll just put there in here, then." Koharu headed to the vase and placed the new flowers in.

"Shisui always brings back roses for his father and me." The mother spoke softly.

Koharu turned to her, waiting for her to continue.

"The roses that he got back were very beautiful; I wondered where he had gotten them. He gets them every day, and puts a new one to replace the old ones around the house. He's gotten so many that the house smells of roses now." The middle aged woman laughed gently, expression softening. She turned to Koharu with a small, but genuine smile.

"Please take care of Shisui."

Koharu stared at her with wide eyes, before they matched her smile, "I will. You don't need to worry."

* * *

As the days counted down to the day Koharu and Shisui would meet by the bridge, Koharu couldn't help but feel excited. Finally, when it was the day, she closed up the shop early to prepare.

She was going to wear a yukata because it was a traditional thing to do, and she hadn't worn one in a very long time.

She grinned when she took out her yukata from storage, putting it on while lightly humming a happy tune. When she was done, she headed out, excited to meet Shisui.

When she got there, he was there already. But, he was in a yukata. Koharu's mouth formed an 'o' when she hurried to him, staring at how different it was that he didn't have his usual shinobi wear.

It was refreshing.

When he saw her, he grinned widely.

"Shisui!" She smiled when she saw him, taking in how handsome he was. "I didn't know you were going to wear a yukata!"

"Surprised you, did I?" He chuckled and took a step closer to her, his arm out. He looked away bashfully, "Let's enjoy the festival."

Seeing his hand in front of her, she smiled warmly and took it, walking side by side into the long road of festivities.

Shisui's ears burned a red as he held her hand. He was excited, happy, and most of all nervous. He didn't think too much of love because he was always so busy, so it was almost an unnatural thing that he fell for her.

"Shisui! The shooting game!" Koharu pointed to the stall in which they had a dartboard.

"Do you want to play?" He asked.

"Yes!"

They headed over and paid for a game, with Koharu being the one to shoot. The owner said that if she was a shinobi she'd need to use her feet or else it wouldn't be fair (of course the owner was joking).

"Ah! I got it!" Koharu grinned widely when the dart went straight into the bullseye, surprising everyone including herself. She threw her arms up into the air. "That was a complete fluke!"

The owner stared at her for a moment, dumbfounded. "That was a lucky shot!" He then grinned and pointed to the rewards, "Pick whichever one you want!"

Koharu went with a stuffed toy that resembled green peas in a pod. She laughed and hugged it tightly, hooking her arm around Shisui's when she went to continue walking down the road.

Shisui was almost shocked that she had done that; he knew she wasn't a ninja so she had no prior practice to anything like this.

What elevated his shock levels was the contact that made him blush. He wasn't ready for all this, yet he welcomed it. Maybe it was because the fact that he wasn't used to intimacy that it was strange for him, but he was happy that Koharu showed interest. His heart thumped wildly in his chest.

He covered his face with his free hand, trying to calm himself down. When he did, he glanced over to see Koharu staring at him.

"Shisui, you're red again." She teased, poking out her tongue. "It's cute!"

He opened his mouth, but her words affected him more so than they would normally. Maybe it was because they were on a date that he was like this, but it was hard to deal with.

"I'm…nervous." He admitted, pulling her arm closer to him. "But I don't dislike it."

"…Shisui, do you like me that much?" Koharu giggled and hugged onto his arm.

"W-What?!" He flinched when she hugged his arm, but relaxed after a moment. He scratched his cheek gently, averting his gaze. "M-maybe."

"Really?" Koharu giggled, "Well, I really like you, so when you asked me out it made me really happy."

The shinobi didn't have a reply to that. He only covered his face as he became a blushing mess.

He was beyond happy, but he was also worried. He wanted to stick closer by her side, to make sure that she would always be safe. But due to the nature of his job, he couldn't always do that.

Thankfully, Konoha was normally a peaceful place. But with the introduction of that serial killer that targeted beautiful young women topped with his clan's current plans to stage a coup, he was on the edge.

Seeing that he wasn't going to reply, Koharu dragged him to stalls that she was interested in, and they played the games they had there, spending the night in laughter.

So when it was time for them to go home, they smiled at each other, thanking each other for the good time.

"Thank you for tonight, Shisui! I had a lot of fun." She beamed at him.

"That's good." He smiled at her, but then he started to nervously fidget. "Uh…"

Koharu just listened expectantly.

Shisui's face went 1000 shades of red when he pulled out a rose from behind him, putting it in front of him to her. "L-let's do this again sometime."

Koharu's eyes widened and her brows rose in surprise, before her expression softened into a warm, bashful smile.

She shyly took the rose from him, taking a whiff of the fragrance. It was a fresh rose, with the thorns detached, somewhat clumsily.

 _Did he pick it himself? How sweet,_ Koharu giggled and nodded, happy that he went to the trouble.

"Let's do this again, Shisui! I'll be looking forward to it."

She went up to him and tiptoed to gently peck him on the cheek, before leaving with a wave.

Shisui waved stiffly, a hand to his cheek. He was feeling pretty embarrassed by now. Though, he had to admit, it was a successful night.

"All done?" Itachi came up from behind, Sasuke trailing behind him. "It looked like a success."

"Itachi? Sasuke? You two went to the festival as well?" Shisui asked, turning around. He laughed lightly when Itachi mentioned his date. "Yeah, it went well."

Itachi couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's red face, "Good for you."

* * *

When Koharu reached her home, she quickly placed all her winnings on her bed, sighing out in happiness before she looked through everything she got. She placed the rose that Shisui got her into a clear vase, smiling at the thought of him.

She took the green bean stuffed toy and took the two green peas out, turning them around and opening it with a knife. She pushed her hand in, taking out a tiny scroll that was lodged deep inside.

She opened up the scroll and scanned the contents, the smile never leaving her face. Once she read it, she burned it with a match, making sure to distribute the ashes so that there was no way anybody could find it.

As she mended the pea that she had cut open, she stared at the rose that was in the vase, wondering if Shisui really had meant to give her that.

 _Love; a romantic gesture that means for the deepest of affections from the giver._

The smile she wore didn't falter.


	4. Chapter 4

Rose

Thorn #4

* * *

"Shisui!" Koharu's expression lit up like a lightbulb when the shinobi walked in through the door.

"Koharu," He grinned and went up to the flower shop owner, who had come up to give him a hug. He put his arms around her and hugged her tightly, breathing in the scent of flowers that she brought with her.

 _I smell blood?_ Koharu hugged him back, but she noticed the smell from his clothes. _His missions…_

Pulling away, the shinobi smiled. A blush had arisen onto his cheeks, and he rubbed his neck sheepishly.

"How was your mission today?" Koharu took his hand gently and led him to the roses, letting him go once she reached the short distance.

 _His hands are rough,_ she smiled to herself and busied herself with doing the roses for Shisui.

Shisui tried to not let out a sigh. He didn't want Koharu to worry needlessly about him, so he omitted some details here and there.

"It was a successful mission, but there were a few casualties." He explained.

She turned to him with a worried look, "Did you get hurt?"

He shook his head, smiling. "Thankfully I didn't."

She heaved a sigh of relief, "That's good. I wouldn't want you getting hurt." She turned back to the flowers, "I know your job requires you to fight and it's inevitable that you'll get hurt, but…it makes me worry, you know?"

Shisui pressed his lips together. He wasn't supposed to make her more worried!

 _I guess I failed on that part,_ his eyes trailed down to her focused look on the flowers, _but I don't want to worry her. If anything, I should be worrying about her. That murderer is still out there. I can't tell her that the mission I did was one where we had to corner an individual who knew of that murderer, but they were killed by a fellow comrade when he was about to spill information, then that comrade disappeared into thin air._

"I'm sorry," Shisui said, staring at the red petals.

"Hm? For what?" The female took the roses in her hands and turned to face him. The look on her face was genuine—she didn't know why he was apologizing.

"…for making you worry." Shisui took her hand and pulled her gently towards him, staring at it. "I don't want to have you worry so much about me."

Koharu observed the male; he seemed so much gentler, more vulnerable than before. Was it because he was talking to her? Or was it because he was preoccupied with other thoughts that would contribute to this feeling?

She didn't know.

Koharu let out a gentle exhale and leaned forward, touching her forehead with Shisui's headband. She closed her eyes, "I'd worry about you even if you weren't a shinobi."

Shisui didn't move, but his onyx irises trailed to the apron she wore, to the notepad that was stuck in the front pocket.

"Do you know why?" Her words were sweet. Her eyes opened and she moved her head slightly to the side, coming in to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Because you're special to me, and I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

His eyes widened at the contact and her words. It may have sounded like something from a TV show, but he knew she was genuine. He couldn't help but let a small smile come to his lips as he breathed a "Thank you".

"So, Shisui," She started up again, leaning back and beaming at him, "How about dinner tomorrow night?"

"Oh, huh?" He blinked a couple of times. She was asking _him_ on a date?

She giggled, "You're supposed to say 'yes! I'd love to'! Don't make that kind of face!" She gently patted his cheek and moved to the counter, where she proceeded to wrap the flowers.

"I, I-I'd love to…" He stammered, standing in front of the counter. He blushed, averting his eyes from her.

"I'll put the reservation, then." She handed him the flowers.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow night here, then." He nodded towards her and reached for the flowers, but took her hand instead. "I'll see you tomorrow night."

She laughed and nodded, then waved bye to the shinobi after he paid and left.

Once he was out of sight, she placed her hands onto her cheeks and crumpled onto the counter, hiding her face.

* * *

"Ah, there they are." Itachi pointed to the restaurant that Koharu and Shisui were seated. They could see them from outside the window, as they took the window seat.

"Tell me again why we're watching them?" A certain silver haired ANBU looked at Itachi with a dubious look.

"I'm making sure nothing happens to them." Itachi explained, taking a seat. He put the binoculars down onto his lap and scanned the area. He was on night duty with Kakashi while Shisui was able to get off for that night.

"…are you sure you're not just watching them because he's on a date?" The Hatake sweat dropped, sighing before standing close to Itachi, following his gaze.

Yet, he found himself watching them too.

* * *

"Thank you for tonight, Shisui. I had a wonderful time." Koharu smiled at him. A blush had arisen to her cheeks as she walked to her front door, taking out the keys to unlock it.

Shisui himself wasn't dressed up, but Koharu was, just a little. She put on a flashier pair of clothes and did her hair and put on light makeup, but just enough so that she didn't stand out as much.

"I also had a great time." He took a few steps forward just as she turned around after unlocking her door.

A surprised look overshadowed her features when Shisui cupped her cheeks, staring at her from within a close proximity.

The closeness forced the woman to go all shades of red as she stared at him with nervousness. Was he going to do what she thought he was going to do?

"May I?" His words were almost breathless as he slowly leaned forward, his eyes slowly closing.

She nodded once, nearly squealing when he leaned forward to touch his lips with hers. He pulled away after lingering a few seconds, smiling at her.

She held his hand that was still on her cheek and averted her eyes, feeling steam emitting from her face. She was so embarrassed that she had to look away.

Shisui, not feeling as embarrassed as she was, chuckled and brought her into a hug, feeling a big surge of happiness. He stroked her back as they stood in silence, enjoying each other's company.

"A-ah, I should get going, now. Really, thank you for tonight." Koharu pulled away from the hug, pushing the door to her house open. She waved as Shisui walked away and waved too, the smile never leaving her face.

When she entered her house, she immediately went upstairs and jumped onto her bed, face into her pillow first. She wanted to scream into it, to squeal about her night, but she was afraid her neighbours would complain, so she didn't. Instead, she rolled around excitedly as she hugged a long pillow, digging her hands into it to find another note.

She rolled to one side, using one hand to check out the contents written on the mini scroll.

She stood up and went to close the curtains, then went to find some matches to burn the small thing. She stared at it as it became ashes, the smile she wore never faltering.

* * *

"Another victim, huh…" Shisui pressed his lips together as his brows furrowed. This woman, too, was young and beautiful. She was found murdered in an alleyway near the nightclub that she worked—a bit of a reach away from Konoha.

It was the first murder for the week, and the ANBU suspected that it would continue to possibly up to 3 victims that one week.

However, they weren't sure as to why the murderer had come all the way to a town in the outskirts to do so. They only knew it was him because the style of killing was the same.

"I do believe that that was why there weren't any murders in the last week." Itachi mused, staring at his surroundings. He was sure that he was being watched by the root ANBU members if they had followed them there, but he wasn't going to complain, since they both worked for Konoha.

"Yeah. Do you think they'll continue this outside Konoha or would they go back inside and continue there?" Shisui questioned. "There doesn't seem to be any consistency with _where_ this happens."

Itachi didn't reply and stared at the corpse. He wasn't sure either, because this killer, apart from modus operandi and killing style, had no other traits.

It was getting harder to find out who it was.

 _They could target anyone, even Koharu,_ Shisui felt his blood run cold thinking of more victims. He didn't want anyone to die; he wanted a peaceful resolution to all of this.

But there was no way that there was going to be a peaceful resolution to this if they weren't going to stop killing.

* * *

"I got the information you asked for, sir."

Danzo turned around. He was meeting a root ANBU member that had come back from their mission inside the village and was reporting to him.

"Make it brief." He ordered.

With a nod, the figure in all-black spoke, "He said that the killer would be going to the outskirts of the village. Now, he should be making his way back to Konoha soon, after a deal there. He plans to have 3 more murders maximum for this week."

"Disposal?"

"I made sure to clean up."

"And the other?"

"I have gotten close to him. Naturally, he doesn't suspect a thing, nor does Itachi."

"Good. You may go now." Danzo lifted the cane and hit it onto the ground gently. The next moment he knew, the all-black clothed root member was nowhere to be seen.

 _Who will be their next target?_ The elder narrowed his eyes and headed back to the building.

* * *

Koharu hung out her laundry, making sure that it was stable enough so that she could leave it without it flying everywhere or out the window while she was at work. Her clothes were a range of colours, and she made sure to let the black clothes that she used the night before, dry well.

With a gentle hum, she stepped out of her home and headed to her shop.

On the way there, she saw Sasuke outside her shop, waiting for her to arrive.

"Ah, you're here early today." She beamed when she saw the boy, waving excitedly as she hurried in her step.

"Koharu-san!" He looked up at her with almost brightened eyes, but then looked away, pouting. He didn't want to be caught looking at her with a happy expression.

The only reason he liked her was because she was on good terms with his brother and Shisui; there was no other reason.

"Are you here to buy flowers, little one?" She giggled when he sent her a glare, looking like he could bite her head off.

"I'm here to get the roses that Shisui-san asked for." He crossed his arms, "He won't be home for a few days."

Koharu let out a gentle 'Oh…' before nodding and opening her shop. "Come in, Sasuke."

"Koharu-san, are you and Shisui-san going to get married?" Sasuke asked, making a face. He was watching the florist cut the flowers and de-thorn them.

A little surprised by the small Uchiha, she let out a giggle at the suddenness of the innocent question.

Then, she sent him a smile.

A smile that could fool anyone.

"That would be lovely if we did."


	5. Chapter 5

Rose

Thorn #5

* * *

"Shisui, are you going on another mission again?" Koharu asked, setting down a hot cup of tea in front of him. He was sitting on the opposite side of the counter while she sat behind it with her own cup of tea.

It had been a while since the two of them had sat down and taken the time to talk and relax. Shisui had been busy with missions and Koharu had been taking care of the flower shop.

"Yeah." The ninja breathed, nodding slowly. His fingers went around the tea cup ear, pulling it closer to him when he lifted it to his lips.

"There seems to be lots of missions for you lately. I'm a little lonely that you can't be with me a lot more." Koharu confessed, twiddling her thumbs.

Shisui's eyes softened and he took a light sip of his cup, then put it down and reached his hand across to hers, wanting to take hold of it.

But, a sudden thought made him stop, and he pulled his hand back with a tight lipped smile.

The girl was a little surprised, yet disappointed, that he pulled his hand away. She knew what he was going to do, but why did he stop?

 _It looked like he was troubled by something…_ Koharu's brows knitted slightly together, and she took action instead, doing what Shisui was too hesitant to do.

She placed her hand over his, slowly squeezing it as she stared him in the eyes. "Shisui, what's wrong? You're troubled."

The male sighed, relaxing his shoulders under her touch. "I'm just stressed from work, that's all."

"How stressful is it? Do you have to do something you don't like?" She questioned, looking at him worriedly.

Shisui nodded just briefly and held her hand with both of his, bringing their hands to his lips, where he closed his eyes in a prayer like pose.

"Shisui…?" The flower shop owner tilted her head just slightly.

"Sorry…just let me stay like this for a while." He seemed to bring her hands closer to himself when he said those words.

Understanding that he needed time to sort out his own thoughts, Koharu nodded and kept silent, occasionally taking a sip of tea while she worked with her free arm.

"Koharu, have you ever had a time when you were too scared to continue, knowing that something bad will happen from it?" Shisui suddenly spoke, looking up and opening his eyes.

"What do you mean?" She asked gently.

"I mean, have you ever done something that you knew wasn't going to benefit you or another in any way in the end?"

 _I have plenty,_ she thought.

"Yes." She nodded. "There are a lot of things I've done that falls into that category."

The male looked a little dumbfounded, "A lot of things?"

She nodded with a small smile. "Yeah. A lot of things." After a momentary pause, she continued, "You know, just like us. You're a ninja that always goes on missions that involve life or death situations. I'm just a mere flower shop owner. When you're on missions, I pray for your safety but I don't know whether or not you would come back to me alive." Koharu admitted.

"You thought those things…every time I went on a mission?" Shisui was careful in the use of his words, not sure whether or not his voice would crack at how much those words hit home.

He felt the same way, except he didn't know whether he himself would come back to her. Especially when it came to the coup and what was stirring behind the scenes.

He absolutely didn't want to involve her in any of that. He wanted to keep her in the light, where she would shine, and continue to shine, while he dipped his body in ink, into the depths that wouldn't allow him to ever be in the light. He was fine that way.

He only just wanted to be by her side, to protect what he needed to protect.

But he knew in the long run, it was likely that Danzo, the sole opposition to everything he wanted to do for a peaceful negotiation and resolution, would try to stop him.

It wasn't as if Shisui was doing it in a horrible way that would cause danger to the village in regards to the coup, but rather, Danzo had his own ways of doing stuff. He thought he was always right in the sense where he would protect Konoha, not even considering another's ideas that would greatly benefit.

 _I don't want to get you caught up in any of that,_ Shisui's onyx eyes bore into hers.

"Sh-Shisui…what's with this intense look…?" Koharu felt her cheeks go red as she averted her eyes, feeling shy.

"Is it wrong for me to look at my girlfriend?" He teased with a grin. Her expressions always lit him up.

She made no sound as her face exploded in red.

Shisui laughed.

* * *

"I trust that you're keeping up your act?"

"Yes, Danzo-sama." The woman, dressed all in black, was kneeled down on one knee, her eyes on the elder as he casted a shadow over her form.

"Good." He manoeuvred around his desk and in front of her, "You know what will happen if you disobey me."

"Yes."

"Good girl."

"Danzo-sama, I have a question."

"What is it?"

"Won't you let me see them? I haven't seen them in a while."

The elder was silent for a moment, contemplating his options. His eyes knitted together just slightly, but he nodded.

"Very well." The man headed out the door while the girl blended into the darkness, following his shadow.

 _I hope they are alive and well…_ the girl thought. She quickly erased her thoughts, needing to keep calm.

After all, she was a part of ROOT that was under Danzo's influence and control.

Even if she was blackmailed into it.

* * *

"Momoka?"

"Koharu-neechan? Is that you?" A younger girl, no older than 12, had woken up, rubbing her eyes as she carried her blanket with her out into the living room. After rubbing her eyes, she blinked a few times, adjusting her browns to the dim lights. "Koharu-neechan…!" Her voice didn't seem to come out when she rushed forward, leaving behind her blanket as she threw herself on the older woman, hugging her like her life depended on it.

Koharu, clad in her black outfit made for ROOT, took off her head attire and leaned down to hug her younger sister, embracing her warmly.

Danzo stood at the door. The current residence they were in were for Koharu's family members. Her mother and her sister.

"Has anybody done anything to hurt you?" Koharu cupped her younger sister's cheeks and waited for an answer.

Momoka shook her head, letting her short curls bounce. "No, they didn't. They haven't done anything to us."

"That's good." The older sister sighed in relief and ruffled the younger girl's hair. "You should go back to sleep. It's late."

"But it's been a while since I've seen you! I'm not allowed to talk to you outside of here so I've missed you! I can't even visit the flower shop that you work!" She cried.

"That can't be helped. You're under surveillance. I'm sorry." She brought her sister closer. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

Momoka couldn't help but let the tears escape her eyes. She cried, hitting her sister weakly on her back, before eventually hugging her tightly.

"Where's mother?" Koharu asked, taking a look around the room.

"Mother's gone out to get some medicine from the Uchiha compound." The girl responded, wiping away the tears that she deemed ugly.

"Medicine?" Koharu pulled back and stared at her sister with wide eyes. "What for?"

"Lately mother's been feeling sick, so she's been getting treatment from a doctor from the Uchiha compound."

 _She's sick…?_ Koharu's brows knitted.

"Okay, time's up. Let's go back, Koharu." Danzo tapped his cane against the ground, signalling the end of their reunion.

 _So quick,_ the ROOT member thought with spite.

She controlled her emotions and smiled softly at her kin, kissing the top of her head. "Wish mother well for me, Momoka."

"I will! Please come back and visit soon!"

"I will. Stay safe."

Once they were out of the residence, they headed back to Danzo's office. Koharu had to put her head gear back on, in order to not allow her identity to be found out.

"Remember the reason why you are in ROOT." Danzo used his cane to press it to Koharu's shoulder, pushing it where she would wince.

But, she did not.

She didn't allow herself to feel something outwardly. If she did, it would break the whole entire premise of her impeccable streak where she would be the best actress.

She was different from the other ROOT ANBUs, and she knew that. Danzo knew that. She was the only one that was allowed to have her emotions, the only one that didn't need to have a mark seared on her tongue.

She was the ANBU that was able to keep up a real emotive response, unlike the other ROOT ANBUs that would have only an empty backing—an obviously fake demeanour.

But, despite her having 'leeway' in terms of being a member of ROOT, she didn't, and couldn't, disobey Danzo, because her family was held hostage.

Even if it meant lying to the whole world.

"Yes, Danzo-sama."


	6. Chapter 6

Rose

Thorn #6

* * *

Itachi and Shisui were by the cliff that overlooked the river banks hundreds of metres down below. It was a place where they would frequently go when they needed to talk about things that they didn't want others to eavesdrop on, but it was also a place where they could relax, even if just a bit.

"I heard that _that_ killer struck again." Shisui turned to Itachi. Previously, he was facing the river, watching the waves harshly strike the rocks.

The older Uchiha's voice was light hearted, but Itachi, being his long-time friend, could tell that it was just a disguise to cover the tension his voice held.

The younger ANBU nodded in affirmation. "We still haven't caught them."

"Why is it so hard to catch this killer?" Shisui let out an exasperated sigh, scratching the back of his head in thought. "Even if he is a ninja, wouldn't it be natural to at least leave behind a clue that will get us to them?"

Itachi stared at Shisui while thinking—the results of the investigation of the recent murder had actually produced a lot more clues than they were used to. It was good so that they could catch the killer soon, but there was also a possibility that they were doing this on purpose.

"We did have a fruitful investigation." Itachi said after a moment.

"That's good." Shisui could only smile, but it dropped after a couple of seconds.

"Are you worried that they'd go after Koharu-san?" Itachi questioned.

"…you got me." Shisui laughed lightly. "I'm just a bit on edge because of what's happening back at the compound and if Koharu's safe or not."

Itachi could understand his worry. Of course, it wasn't easy balancing a work life and personal life when work life seemed to bleed into personal life.

Itachi, even though he was younger, wanted to say something that would cheer his best friend up, even just a little. "I think Sasuke likes talking to her."

Shisui raised a brow at Itachi's attempt, knowing exactly what he was doing. He then laughed, "Koharu told me about what Sasuke's been saying to her. It's quite funny. They're all coincidences, though."

"Is that so?" The younger mentally sighed a little in relief.

There was silence, only the wind blowing and rustling the leaves.

"Itachi, tomorrow night I'll be on patrol at night." Shisui broke it. He turned to another direction, staring up at the retreating sunset orange.

"That's when they will murder again." Itachi realised, saying his words slowly.

Shisui nodded. "We got a tip off where the next one will be, so we'll be around that area." He added, "Oh, by the way, you're not going to be on duty then so can you escort Koharu home when she closes shop?"

Itachi tilted his head slightly, but nodded without complaint. It was the first time his friend had asked him, so he didn't mind.

"I'll make sure she gets home safely."

* * *

The day after, night was coming. Shisui had already gotten ready for his night patrol shift, along with a few others that were scheduled too.

Evening was coming and he knew, it was around this time he had to be weary of. The darkness was a clever way to cover for something horrendous, therefore they had to be extra careful with caution.

 _Itachi should be about to send her home around this time…_ Shisui thought. He was perched up in a tree nearly, making sure he wasn't seen by anybody.

 _Now, where will that killer strike?_

* * *

Itachi looked at the sign for the flower shop, having gone there to make sure Koharu was escorted home safely. He stood with an indifferent face at the sign that said 'CLOSED'.

The lights weren't on nor was there any activity inside the store.

 _Did she go home early? I did come a little later than the proposed time because I thought she was cleaning up…or maybe she's in the back?_

 _No, I don't see any light?_

Itachi suddenly had a thought that went through his mind.

He wasn't on duty, but it almost felt like he was. He activated his sharingan, taking a look inside the store. He didn't see anything apart from the normal stuff there, much to his relief.

 _She just went home early._

* * *

Shisui saw a few young women coming back from the bar. One of them was drunk and the two friends were there to support her.

After a little bit of walking, they split. One of the sober girls went off by themselves and the other two went off together.

Shisui, knowing that there would be a higher chance of the single girl getting targeted, followed her, making sure that she would get home safely. Of course, it didn't help when she went through an alleyway to get to her house.

 _How long is she planning on walking?_ Shisui questioned, jumping to another rooftop. He made sure to not make a sound at all, and go to a place that was easy to hide from prying eyes.

 _Hm?_

His onyx eyes caught the sight of a dull shine somewhere to his right. It was a shine he was all too familiar with. His eyes widened when the girl came out of the alleyway to get to the main road, and as he jumped down, the girl was dragged back inside by an arm, jerking her so quick and so strong that she didn't even have time to scream.

After he had landed on the ground in the alleyway, he brandished his sword and went to attack the one that had dragged the lady inside. He wasn't a big nor small man, and that was what confused Shisui.

"I'm sorry, Kimiko!"

Shisui stopped in his spot and jumped to the side, just quick enough so he didn't have to do any senseless killing.

"T-Tada-kun?!" The girl was just as surprised as Shisui was.

 _They know each other?_

Making sure to keep watch because appearances can be deceptive, he held the sword closely to him, ready to make a move anytime.

 _They're just having a lover's quarrel…_ Shisui wanted to sigh. He put back his sword and stood up, heading back to the roof after the couple exited the alleyway.

He watched them as they went.

He quickly jerked to the right, searching. He was sure that he saw some movement. Now using his sharingan, he found the one responsible. It was a man—a ninja—that he had saw previously with the sword.

 _What's he doing down there?_ The Uchiha followed him with his eyes.

When he blinked, he was gone, and the sound of something slicing through flesh could be heard not too far from where the ANBU was.

Shisui was immediately there next to the couple, a few metres away as he tried to find the one that had escaped his vision, ignoring the blood that had started spurting from the necks of the couple.

 _How did he…?!_ Shisui clenched his hand around the sword and took it out, quickly searching, locating the ninja.

He let out a whistle with a different sound pattern to indicate to the other ANBUs that something had happened. He then went straight after the shinobi, who had gone east.

 _He's fast!_ Shisui upped his speed and dashed through the empty streets, following the guy.

The shinobi quickly turned a corner, and once Shisui had done the same, he nearly tripped over something at how fast he was going.

Creasing his brows in confusion, he stared down at the thing by his feet, recognising it immediately as the one that he had been chasing. Blood oozed from him, and his body was still warm. He was twitching just slightly, as if he were a dying fish, and his hand reached towards Shisui, shaking, before it hit the blood covered ground.

Shisui quickly looked up after hearing very light taps against the walls. He saw a figure retreating very quickly. Not even a moment had passed and they had already gone.

 _Was that…ROOT ANBU?_

Shisui creased his brows and kept his sharingan on, leaving them to go. He'd ask Danzo and the 3rd about it later. Right now they had to make sure that they cleaned up the mess that had happened.

* * *

"ROOT was involved?" Itachi questioned with a tad bit of a surprised tone.

Shisui nodded. "The person that killed him was wearing the ROOT ANBU uniform." He added after a moment, "I got their chakra signature, too, so I could just go around Konoha searching for them that way."

"If they're ROOT ANBU they're bound to appear when we have our missions as well. Won't you be able to find them during that time?"

"I guess so." The older nodded.

"Was the murderer for those cases the one that really died?" The son of the police force questioned. He had his doubts, but mainly because he was killed so easily. Someone that evaded police and ANBU capture many, many times wouldn't have made such a careless mistake.

Shisui observed Itachi for a long moment, then nodded. "Yeah. It was him. We also had some people come forward and tell us about him."

Itachi's onyx eyes turned to the older one's face. He was almost silently asking him to elaborate.

"They said he had lost his wife to an illness that changed her outer look and mentality completely." Shisui started. "According to his neighbours they often heard them arguing one sided about her, and how she wasn't beautiful enough compared to other girls and that they should die."

"…so he made her dreams come true."

"Kind of. They think he went crazy when his wife died."

"So what changed his mind to suddenly kill the male this time too?" Itachi questioned. He had overheard that it wasn't just the female victim, but also her boyfriend as well.

"Maybe it reminded him of the times that they would fight and he killed him too?" Shisui wondered. "It's a sad story."

Itachi could only nod.

* * *

Shisui made sure that he was silent when he walked to the 3rd Hokage's office. He wanted to ask what the third currently thought of his plan for the upcoming coup, and if he knew why ROOT ANBU and Danzo would interfere with ANBU's missions.

As he walked down the hallway, he heard some light voices with his acute hearing. It was coming from Danzo's office.

 _It's really late at night, shouldn't he be resting?_ Shisui wondered.

Shisui activated his sharingan, his eyes flaring to the red they would become when using his kekkei genkai. As he walked by he peered into the room with his eyes, seeing the two chakra signatures that he recognised as Danzo, and the one that he had saw the night before.

"Good job on your mission yesterday." He heard Danzo tap his cane against the ground and walk.

"It was no problem, Danzo-sama."

 _That voice._

Shisui's eyes widened and his voice got caught in his throat. He quickened his step and arrived at the Hokage's office, standing outside for a moment.

He stared at the wooden door, just like he stared at the door that was the entrance for Koharu's flower shop the very next day.

 _I should go in._

Shisui put his hand on the handle and pushed down, pushing the door in so that he could enter. As he did, his eyes flickered into his sharingan, where he caught sight of the same chakra signature as the one he saw two nights ago.

"Shisui! You're early today! Do you want some tea?" Koharu was as bright and bubbly as he had remembered. She held such a gentle smile, one that made him feel at ease whenever she was with him.

It almost made him want to ask, 'why?' to address the topic. But, he couldn't bring himself to say those words, because he knew that the moment he said those words, the fairy tale that was her would disappear.

The only thing left would be a tattered book of lies.


	7. Chapter 7

Rose

Thorn #7

* * *

 _That was a lot easier than planned._

When Koharu had escaped the scene quickly after killing off the man that had murdered many, she had known Shisui was already on the scene.

 _If anything, he's using his sharingan and would know my chakra signature. That's no good. I wasn't fast enough in escaping._

Having gone back home, she quickly washed the clothes that were stained with the killer's blood. She couldn't leave behind any sort of evidence that would lead to her. After all, she was known as the owner of the flower shop, not a ninja of ANBU ROOT.

 _That killer…how many has he killed now? 100? 200? He's killed many._

Koharu pressed her hands into a light prayer. Even though she didn't believe in anything like destiny, fate, or God, she would do that if the situation called for it.

 _Rest in peace._

The flower shop owner made herself a quick snack, waiting for the water to boil for her two minute noodles. She had become hungry after eating something light for dinner.

 _That guy was weaker than I thought. Maybe he's so good at running away that he was able to evade all the people. That being said, the minute he saw me after I sliced his neck, he was shocked._

Koharu sighed and went to her bed, falling onto it on her stomach. She hugged her pillow.

 _He bought a lot of flowers at the shop, too…this is taking a huge chunk out of my salary._

She only got back up when the hot water had signalled that it finished boiling. She headed over to make her noodles. When she did, she just stared at it for the few minutes that she had to wait, one thought going through her mind.

 _What would Shisui do if he found out that it's me?_

* * *

"Shisui, you're a little strange today. Is something the matter?" 2 days later, Koharu and Shisui were in the flower shop. Shisui hadn't been there for so long yet, but he had taken his usual seat by the counter.

 _I saw you use that sharingan just then,_ Koharu kept the smile, even though she knew that Shisui had found out. She couldn't afford to break now, or else everything would be ruined. She had to keep up the act.

"Work is just a little stressful." Shisui lied through his teeth, hoping he sounded convincing. It was hard—his feelings were real, but hers was a lie.

After all, she was part of ROOT ANBU.

"Is it really?" She asked, sounding concerned. "You ought to have some time off to relax."

He nodded and reached out to take her hand. He held it like he almost didn't want her to go away or leave.

 _He's not as talkative today,_ Koharu noticed.

 _How much have you kept from me? Are you even 'Koharu'? Who are you?_ Shisui closed his eyes and brought her hand to his lips.

 _Why did you have to be a ninja?_

"How much do you see with that sharingan of yours?" Koharu asked, finally sitting down across from him. She didn't mind talking about something that he was hesitant to talk about. If it's a fact, it's a fact.

Shisui opened his eyes and looked up at her, wondering why she would start the conversation the way that he didn't want—the way that would indicate that she was just a liar.

Nevertheless, he still answered her question. "…too much to count."

"Shisui, does that include chakra signatures as well?" She asked with curiosity.

Shisui almost froze. He knew where she was getting with this, and with this conversation, it definitely indicated that she knew. That she knew that he knew, and that's why she's the one talking.

Even though she had the same tone of voice as before, like each time they would talk together, it was a blow to him that it was so easy for her to fake it.

 _As expected of ROOT ANBU,_ he thought almost bitterly.

"Yeah, that includes signatures." Shisui nodded. It was like she was asking for confirmation. She probably already knew exactly what the sharingan did, but she feigned she did not know.

"That's why I was surprised that you used it just after coming in. You didn't use it at all before. Did something happen?" She asked, quite innocently.

It was almost as if she was forcing Shisui to talk. To talk to her about what he found, to talk to her about her being a fake.

Shisui wasn't able to reply. He stared at their intertwined hands, avoiding her stare.

 _Why do you have to torture me like this?_

* * *

"Shisui, I have a request." Koharu stood in front of the Uchiha, blocking him from the exit. She met his surprised eyes, which held a guarded feature that he previously didn't seem to have before.

"What is it?" His tone of voice softened just slightly, but enough for Koharu to pick up on.

"I'd like to talk it over with my side first before anything, so…can I trust that I will stay in your care?" She chose her words very carefully. She didn't want to give anything away, but she implied it. It was a very roundabout way of speaking, but she knew that there might be someone watching them, to report her actions to Danzo.

Shisui studied her for a long moment. He didn't know if it was an act or not. Heck, he didn't know what to believe if it included her.

 _If she wants to play like this, I'll do the same, then._

"If you'll let me." He ended up saying.

Koharu breathed a sigh of relief, before moving out of his way. "I would explain, but, I can't." She smiled at him.

Shisui was confused. Her words and her smile didn't match.

Since Koharu was closer to the window than he was, 2 seconds into the smile, she glanced outside to see if her hunch was right.

 _There is one,_ she counted. Her eyes went back to Shisui, the smile still on her face. There was no doubt that he had seen her look outside, and knowing that he was no idiot, he would have caught on.

"Do you still want the two roses? They'll be on me today." Koharu went to cut the roses, making them at three times the speed that she would normally show others. In less than half a minute, she was done. She handed it to him, "Here you go. Do say good evening to your parents for me." She tip toed up to kiss him on the cheek as she nearly always did.

"Please just for a little longer." She whispered, almost pleadingly, before she returned to the usual bubbliness that happened after she kissed his cheek.

 _What?_

Shisui was a little dumbfounded, but he took the flowers and left the shop, waving at her goodbye.

* * *

Shisui honestly didn't know what to think. He thought Koharu was someone that he could trust, but then it turned out she was in ROOT ANBU, and then now she's saying things that don't really match up with that?

 _This is strange._

He thought back to when she had obviously hinted to him that there was someone watching them from outside.

 _If someone was watching her from outside, wouldn't that mean that Danzo doesn't trust her enough? That's definitely not normal. And, she said that she would explain, but she 'can't'. Not that she 'won't'. Is someone stopping her from saying anything?_

He leaned on his palm against the table, staring at the candle light that sat at his desk. Normally he would turn on the lights but that night felt like a candle one. He would watch it flicker and still, then flicker again. It was almost interesting, had he not been preoccupied with his own thoughts.

It was already bad enough that the timing for this was around now. The coup would be the following week, and it might even get pushed forward, depending on circumstances.

So, he was on edge. But even so, he didn't try to show it.

He wondered how he was able to keep being so strong. The current situation begged for it and the coup's prevention was a higher priority of importance than Koharu, so he shouldn't be feeling much.

For the situation with preventing the coup, he was sure that something might happen so that Shisui wouldn't be able to change the minds of the Uchiha, and for Koharu's, Danzo was backing that. However, he didn't know the 'mission' Koharu was tasked with when it came to him.

Was it getting information? Or was it to assassinate him when the time came for it? He wouldn't know.

All he wanted was for her to explain herself.

But, in a way that wasn't a lie.

* * *

"Danzo-sama, you seem busy tonight." Koharu commented, latching onto the outer window of his office. She allowed herself in and went in front of the desk, kneeling down on one knee to show the non-existent respect she had for the elder.

Not that she'd ever tell him, anyway.

"That is of no matter to you." Danzo's words were sharp.

 _Even so, you could at least indulge in a little information you old fart,_ Koharu hissed mentally.

She kept up the façade. "I guess so."

"Did you learn anything from him?" The elder got straight to the point.

' _Him', huh…he doesn't even refer to him by his name,_ Koharu's eyes were closed at this point. She normally did this when she was thinking of an answer, or if she was trying to make up something on the fly. Either way, it worked because it always made sense.

"He is tight lipped about the clan and the workings within it. He—"

"So you learnt nothing?" Danzo cut through her with a stern look.

She didn't even need to open her eyes to know exactly what kind of look he was giving her. She sighed gently to herself and opened her eyes, staring at the feet of the desk. "No, I did not."

He was silent for a moment, before he waved his hand. That signalled her to go.

She left, silent as a shadow, internally grinning at how she managed to fool him, too.


	8. Chapter 8

Rose

Thorn #8

* * *

"Shisui, how much do you like roses?" Koharu was tending to the flowers in her shop when she heard Shisui come in.

He didn't know why he had come again. Maybe it was the words that she spoke the other day, or maybe it was the mystery that was Koharu.

"Yeah, I do." He answered as normal. There didn't seem to be any change in her behaviour, nothing that would indicate that she wanted to do anything that would endanger him.

"Roses, they can come in lots and lots of different colours now." Koharu started, heading over to them. She cut off two and turned to the male, who was left standing in the middle of the shop.

She was holding the stem of the flowers, pointing them towards him, "They're beautiful flowers, aren't they?"

Shisui didn't know if he should answer her. Her questions were harmless, but it felt like she was going to say something encrypted, like a code that required him to break through to get the answer beneath.

"That's why, so many people pick them. It's because they're so special, so beautiful, and so fragrant. It's a popular thing nowadays especially. But, did the rose know that it was going to get picked?" Koharu pulled the flowers back to herself, touching one of the pricks gently so as not to wound herself.

"Roses are flowers that have thorns on its stems. Maybe it's there to protect it from other animals, or whatnot." Koharu took a knife and gently cut the thorns off, "Without those thorns, roses are safe, aren't they? To touch, I mean."

Koharu smiled, heading over to Shisui. She handed him the knife and a thorned rose, "Here, you can try."

Without a word, Shisui took it and begun to do exactly what she was doing.

"Why are you telling me this?" Shisui asked quietly, a tad confused. It was out of the blue, so sudden. He was there to get answers, not talk about flowers.

"Because you always get roses whenever you come here." She giggled, watching him cut off the thorns.

 _That's not my point…_ Shisui finished and handed it back to her, along with the knife. He observed her, watching her put the knife back where she had it before, and wrap the roses in coloured paper tissue.

She handed it to him, "There's something I'd like you to do for me."

Shisui hesitated. He wanted to say 'How can I trust you?' but he just couldn't bring himself to.

Koharu, sensing that he had a question that couldn't be voiced, answered it. "I know you don't trust me anymore, but, I promise I'll explain everything to you later on."

 _Later on? When will that be?_ The male wondered.

Shisui silently took the roses from her, but just as he took them, his hand latched onto hers quickly, pulling her in so that she was closer to him.

"Tell me everything. No lies." Was his condition.

She didn't respond to his condition. All she did was take a step away from him and gently push the wrapped roses to his chest, "My request is in the paper."

* * *

Danzo's eyes squinted at the ROOT ANBU that kneeled in front of him, reporting to him what had happened.

"She knocked you out and you don't know what happened?" He was somewhat astounded.

"I only came to when he walked out the door." The ANBU explained.

Danzo thought for a long moment, his brows furrowing.

He was going to use Koharu a little bit longer, but she was no longer a useful tool as she was before. She was starting to betray him by doing little tricks like this.

"Tail her everywhere she goes." The elder ordered the ANBU.

"Yes sir!"

* * *

 _You can't be serious,_ Shisui reread the contents on the paper that came with the roses. He didn't know whether or not to believe her, but that was what she was going to do.

 _It's on the same day that I'll be carrying out the plan to prevent the coup,_ he pressed his lips into a thin line, _I don't think I'll even have time to do that._

 _How can she expect me to escort her family out of the village? Who even_ is _her family?_

* * *

It was an impossible request, she knew. Koharu already knew the day that Shisui was going to go through with his plan of preventing the coup. She was always eavesdropping during the meetings, so of course she knew. It was just that nobody else knew that she knew.

 _Well, maybe Itachi knows, but he's not saying anything so I don't know,_ Koharu jumped onto the rooves of the houses, making sure she made no sound. She was heading to where her family was.

 _I'm going to get Momoka and mother out of the village. It'll be hard, but they need to live somewhere else where Danzo doesn't imprison them…_

Once she reached the area, she landed on the roof of a house that was closest, peering inside. The lights were on and there were 2 shadows moving.

 _Ah, mum and Momoka are still awake,_ Koharu jumped to the balcony rail, landing silently on it before she jumped down to the ground.

She heard a whimper, and a cry, and something metallic.

 _What?_

The curtain that covered the inside of the room blew with the wind, but her eyes widened when she saw that it wasn't her mum and Momoka, but rather her sister and Danzo, with Danzo's cane's sword right through her little sister's chest.

Danzo noticed Koharu make her presence clear in that moment, turning to her without even a shred of remorse on his features.

It was just so sudden, so sudden that Koharu was shocked for the first time without having to fake it. She gritted her teeth, her hand twitching to get to the sword that was on her back, but she stopped herself.

She couldn't fight him. Her mother was still alive, she hoped, and she couldn't just go against an elder. She was skilled, yes, but in the art of silence and acting, not killing someone who was able to climb the ladder to become one of Konoha's strongest.

"Koharu…neesan…" Momoka could only cry. Half from the pain, and half from seeing her sister. She hadn't died yet, but she was in extreme pain. The minute the sword leaves her would be the minute she would die from blood loss. The blood was already starting to trickle down the sword and hit the hilt.

"Momoka." Koharu's voice was quiet, so quiet that she could barely hear herself from the pounding of her own heart.

"Mother…Uchiha…doctor…" Momoka tried to smile, and she lifted her arm up to reach towards her sister.

Danzo just stayed still, watching the interaction between the two. He knew that, as long as he kept her mother alive, she wouldn't do anything stupid.

"She's at the doctor's again…?" Koharu took a few steps closer to Momoka. The ground seemed to break under her feet, but she somehow kept her balance.

Momoka only nodded.

The older was right next to Momoka and the sword. She stared at it and her eyes trailed up to Danzo, where they burned with a hatred that had been buried inside her all this time.

He was mildly surprised at her show of such a strong emotion. She normally didn't show any apart from warm ones. "This is just a warning."

"No," She spat, "This is _murder_."

"I told you what would happen if you betrayed me, did I not?"

"I didn't betray you. I just got myself a little bit of privacy." Koharu turned away from Danzo and touched her sister's face, pressing her forehead to her. "I'm sorry, Momoka. I'm sorry."

"Why are you…always apolo…gizing…?" Momoka started to cry again. It hurt every time she breathed. It was like torture, keeping her alive with a sword through her. It was too cruel.

But, that was the world they lived in.

"Because I'm sorry. It's my fault that we ended up here." Koharu hugged Momoka in an awkward position, trying hard as to not move her to cause her more pain.

"No, it's…not…"

"If you don't want this to happen to your mother, don't betray me again." Danzo pulled the sword out of her and swung it on the side, letting the blood splatter to the walls. He left.

Momoka gasped and she stumbled in her sister's grasp, her breathing heavy and fast. She tried to calm herself, but she couldn't.

Koharu put her hands on either side of the wound, trying to close it up, even though she knew she'd fail.

At this time, she was scared. She was scared that she'd lose her only sister, the only other person apart from her mother that knew what was happening.

She regretted not being taught medical ninjutsu.

"Sorry…I'm going…say bye to mother…for me…" Momoka was slipping in and out of consciousness. She felt sleepy. "I'm just…going to rest…a bit…"

"I'll be here when you wake up!" Koharu took her hands off of Momoka and pressed her hands to her cheeks, smiling warmly at her sister. "When you wake up, we'll go travelling. You'll get to see lots of different things, and it'll be different!" As much as she said that, she was only trying to convince herself.

"That sounds…good…good night..."

And her eyes closed, her breathing slowly coming to an end.

Koharu froze for what seemed like an eternity. When she came to, she was still holding her sister's face in her hands, the blood sticky and dry.

"What?" Koharu's first words of the day were hoarse, like she hadn't spoken in ages.

She gently lay her sister's head down onto the ground, standing up. She felt like normal, but the turmoil in her mind was amplified.

 _What happened last night?_ She replayed her memories of last night, thinking, and thinking some more.

She was sad, yes, she was angry, yes. But, could she do anything about it? No.

 _That wasn't part of the deal, Danzo._

Koharu stared at her sister's corpse. She had seen so many dead bodies in her time as a ROOT ANBU that it didn't faze her. Not even her own sister's. The only thing that she could attach to it was the memories that she had together with her, which, was not very much. It was only during the time when they were young that she remembered, the first 4 years of Momoka's life. The later years, she couldn't.

Nevertheless, Koharu still loved her very much.

She picked up Momoka's body. It was cold.

She needed to make a grave for her. They weren't originally from Konoha, so it was hard to figure out a place. In the end, Koharu ended up going to the outside of the village, where she buried her next to a small tree.

It wasn't even dawn yet. It was still dark. And, even if it was still dark, Koharu dug a grave and buried her sister.

 _You've always liked trees, didn't you, Momoka? I'll bury you here so that you can nourish this little tree to become a big, strong tree._

Koharu patted the soil so that it formed a nice curve. She went to a big tree and jumped to the branches, where she cut off two and a small, thick part, to act as a nail. She wrote Momoka's name and stabbed the cross on the grave.

"I'm sorry I can't shed tears for you." Koharu spoke apologetically. She placed her hand on the grave, "They've long dried."

"I'm sorry that I couldn't be the supportive big sister that you wished for. I'm sorry. It's my fault that you had to grow up in this kind of environment. If I hadn't become a ninja none of this would have happened."

A mini dark circle appeared on the soil next to her hand. And then, many more little dark circles.

 _I'm sorry that I'm such a liar._


	9. Chapter 9

Rose

Thorn #9

* * *

Koharu was an actress. A very talented one.

When she was young, she trained to be a ninja with her father. Her father was a ronin, a very kind one at that. He preferred to live that way, wandering from place to place looking for mercenary work to support his small family, all the while helping Koharu do what she loved, which was to act.

She liked to star in little plays here and there, and often did portrayals of movies on the side to busk for money, which proved successful.

He was astonished that she was such a good actress even at such a young age, and he honed that skill, hoping that it would one day help her in the future.

One day, they were wandering an area that was close to a big village, resting and waiting for their mission objective to come.

A wealthy man had paid Koharu's father a very large sum to assassinate an important figure to Konoha. Of course, he accepted, but he was weary. Often, a large sum indicated that the task was difficult.

The only reason he accepted that money was because he needed more to support his wife that had just gotten pregnant, should anything happen to him.

When the time came for the important Konoha figure to come, Koharu's father sprang into action. He took out the ANBU that had accompanied the figure, but when he was about to take out the mission objective, he was struck from behind by an ANBU that was still alive.

At this time when he was down, the important figure—Danzo, had asked him for information on who sent him, but he wouldn't say a word, deciding to keep tight lipped about his clients.

Of course, that angered Danzo, until he saw a young girl come from the bushes, asking where her father was.

That was Koharu. She was shocked that her father was on the ground and there was someone restraining him. When asking for answers, they asked her instead, and she instantly feigned that she didn't know, even though she knew every detail already.

During this time, she thought, what would the consequence be?

Then, they pressured her further. With her strong will, she kept herself calm and level headed, making sure to not let them get what they wanted. It wasn't the first time that had happened, after all.

This ordeal lasted for a long time, until Danzo decided that he would bring them to Konoha and make them work for him in his secret ninja force.

At first, it was a request for Koharu's father, but that soon expanded to Koharu herself, where they trained her too. They couldn't say no to Danzo as he gave them good conditions to live in, and the overall sound of it was good. It was especially strange that he decided to do this after they tried to kill him, but Koharu's father thought that this man might actually be a good person, and thus trusted him.

It was around this time that Koharu's mother had Momoka. She was happy about the new baby and was very happy with the family, but only a few weeks later did her husband pass away in the line of duty.

Koharu's mother had become ill when she found out. She still took care of Momoka and did her utmost best, but her mental state was deteriorating. Koharu would have to force feed her if she knew that she wasn't eating as much.

At this time, Koharu was still honing her skills. She was a ninja that excelled in deception.

And that was the skill that led her to find out that Danzo was the one behind her father's death. She had eaves dropped on more than several of their conversations, each one ending with Danzo and her father's disagreement.

Of course, she kept it to herself. It wasn't something that could be talked about that lightly—her father was killed because Danzo had no use for him anymore. It was as simple as that. Danzo had found out information regarding who her father's client was that wanted Danzo dead, and he had made it so that it sounded as if her father was the one who had leaked the information, not Danzo. That gave him an excuse to kill him.

Killing off Koharu's father allowed Danzo to take Koharu and use her as part of his ROOT ANBU force, where he knew that she was going to be a good addition to it because of her special talents.

After a few years when Koharu didn't want to be a part of the force anymore, Danzo threatened her family's safety in exchange for her obedience.

Outside of her ROOT work she'd be the girl that would study business and flowers; the girl that would soon open her very own shop.

And, that was how she came to now.

* * *

Koharu made sure that she cleaned up the house and left a note for her mother just in case she came home and wondered why Momoka wasn't there.

She left quickly, not wanting to see her mother's expression at this time.

 _I'm an actress with real emotions._

She cleaned herself up in her own home, making sure she looked presentable for the coming day.

 _What a hypocritical thing to think._

When she opened up shop for the day, she made sure to preoccupy herself with the flowers and customers. She would think about what to do later.

* * *

"Koharu, Danzo-sama wants to see you." A ROOT ANBU walked in through the front door of the shop and told her.

"I'm surprised you're walking in through the door." Koharu tended to her plants, unfazed. She didn't give a care about any of the other ROOTs, as they were all heartless people who were loyal to Danzo.

"It is urgent. Please go to his office as soon as your work hours finish." The ROOT then left.

"Urgent, huh?" Koharu turned on her heel to look at the door. "As urgent as when he murdered my sister?" She spitefully added under her breath.

She sighed gently, quickly doing the rest of her duties before closing shop, and leaving for the Hokage's tower.

She arrived without her ANBU gear. If she was specifically asked to wear it, they would have told her, but if it was just a little chat, then there was no problem. After all, it wasn't uncommon that Danzo talked to some civilians.

"What did you want to talk to me about, Danzo-sama?" Koharu adjusted her tone so that she sounded polite rather than pissed off. The sight of him irritated her, and the longer she had to be in his presence, the more she wanted to strangle him for destroying her family and life.

"I have a mission for you." Danzo was seated at his desk, looking through some documents. He wasn't surprised at all when she had come in unannounced and just waved it off because it was something she just did. After all, not all had the guts to walk in on an elder without knocking.

"A mission?" It felt weird to say it from the tip of her tongue.

He hummed in confirmation and took a manila folder from the side, handing it out to her. "The details are inside."

The flower shop owner took the folder with both hands and flicked it straight open.

There was no change of emotion on her face when she skimmed through the information.

"I trust you have no objections?" Danzo intertwined his fingers and watched her carefully. She didn't have any reaction at all, just like every other time he had given her a mission.

She closed the file, bowing slightly at the elder that she hated with a passion.

With a convincing smile, she turned on her heel and left the office, greeting those that she knew with that smile as to avoid any unwanted questions.

Her façade dropped only when she reached home. She closed her curtains but left the windows open, putting down the file on her bed.

She was being watched, and she knew that. She knew Danzo didn't trust her, and that's why she knew, he was testing her with this mission.

She sighed and slid to the floor, lying on her back. Doing a few stretches, she gently tugged the file and flipped it open when she did a leg stretch.

She didn't make a sound. If she did, the ANBUs would be sure to pick it up and report any slipped information back to Danzo.

 _I wonder what Danzo has against him apart from their difference in opinion of the handling of the coup,_ Koharu wondered with a bitter smile.

 _First, he wanted me to befriend him and make me his girlfriend to see if I could change his mind about things, but now that that's failed, he wants me to kill him?_

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. She changed her position.

 _What is he, a kid?_

 _But if I take a look at this from a different angle, it's a little complicated._

Koharu stopped stretching and just sat on the floor. She took out a sketchpad from underneath her bed and a pen, doodling down her thoughts.

 _So, there's Shisui and I. Shisui is an ANBU that's my objective to befriend and trust. That was my mission objective that was entrusted to me by Danzo. Of course, having such a superficial relationship wasn't something I wanted so I was against it, but that old geezer really threatened the safety of my family, huh…_

 _Next up, is Itachi. He's Shisui's best friend and someone from the Uchiha that's a double spy. Of course, only the higher ups know that but like I am, eavesdropping and sneaking around is my specialty. Shisui and Itachi are Uchiha's in arms when it comes to ANBU work and being a spy for their own clan. They report straight to the Hokage and the elders, and everything is discussed between them to see which opinion and decision is the best course of action._

 _Ultimately, Danzo's a stupid idiot who thinks only of his own ways being the best, so naturally he was against it and wanted his own opinion to be heard and carried through. Due to that, it's become a little strained between himself and the others._

 _I'm not sure if this is right yet, or not, but Danzo seems to have some other idea with Itachi up his sleeve, though I don't know what yet._

 _For now, my current mission is to assassinate Shisui, again entrusted to me by Danzo. What is he, an idiot? I doubt he knows that Shisui knows who and what I am, so that's why he's given me this mission. And, he's using this to make sure that I stay loyal to him, or he'll kill my mother._

 _Whilst I do love my mother, it isn't guaranteed that she would still be alive, considering her current condition. There's also the possibility that Danzo kills her off and replaces her and or tells me that she's out to go get medicine at the Uchiha residence each time I go visit._

 _Speaking of which, I haven't seen her in a while. I should visit the Uchiha residence to make sure that she is really going there. I can't rely on anybody else, after all._

 _Danzo killed Momoka off as a warning to me. Who knows what he'll do to mother? But, even if mother was alive and well, her declining condition will be hard to manage if we go on the run._

 _Now, back to Shisui. Danzo 100% doesn't know that Shisui knows, but I think ROOTs watching Shisui might have an idea. If Shisui is smart enough to read my clues, he'll know that something is different and something is wrong. But, I don't know because those were some damn vague clues that I gave. Nonetheless, if I were to assassinate him, it would most likely jeopardize the relationship between ANBU and Uchiha. It's bound to get found out. And, to top it off, Itachi's a prodigy when it comes to literally anything, so he'll be the first to find out and do something about it. But at the moment if that happened, what would the Chief Officer for the Uchiha police do? Shisui's a pretty strong force on their side, so replacing him won't be easy._

She drew a mind map and relations chart of everything that she currently knew. She sighed, ripping the paper and burning it to ashes.

 _Man, Danzo must be an idiot, unless—_

Koharu sat up abruptly.

 _Wait a minute, is he testing me to prove my loyalty to him or is he doing this to make sure that Shisui's mouth stays shut?_

The ROOT ANBU thought for a moment, thinking. In the end she shrugged, leaning against her bed.

 _It's got nothing to do with me anyway. All I have to do is kill Shisui, right?_


	10. Chapter 10

Rose

Thorn #10

* * *

"I can't do what you requested, Koharu." Shisui had come in late after he finished his ninja duties. He was as normal as ever today, because he didn't want his personal life bugging him at work and everyday activities.

He always remembers to buy flowers for his home, though.

Or really, he just found himself making his way to Koharu's shop.

 _Wouldn't he find this awkward? After all, I technically destroyed his image of me and am not who I think he is,_ Koharu smiled at him, shaking her head and waving her hand in dismissal.

"It's fine. You can forget about that. It doesn't matter anymore. It was an unreasonable request to make, after all." She went over to the roses, but then stopped, turning to the lilies. "Today, do you want lilies instead?" There were different coloured ones that she was looking at, all very beautiful.

Shisui stared at them and then at her. He took a step closer, his brows knitting together slightly.

 _Ah, he's suspicious._ Koharu caught on to that look.

Shisui had to think about everything a lot. After he took a look at the request that Koharu made, he was certain that something was happening behind the scenes that he didn't know about.

"Koharu." He stated her name almost like a demand.

"Have you decided which colours you want?" She asked, looking over her shoulder. She turned around just slightly to face him with a smile.

Shisui didn't say anything for a moment, but then shook his head, "No, this time I don't need flowers."

"Oh? But these lilies are very exquisite. They're on me, today. If you don't want lilies, that's okay. Really, I'd like you to go to the outskirts of Konoha and put this on a grave." Koharu just gave him another smile and went to handpick a few white lilies, "After all, my sister recently passed away, and I'll need someone to go and put these on her grave while I'm here tending to my shop to get ready for the next day."

Shisui looked at her with confusion, then he thought. He thought hard about what Koharu had said so far. If she wasn't a mystery, then he didn't know what she was. He had suspicions about who she was and what she really did, but that was only the surface.

Ever since he received that request from her, he wondered, what did she really mean? It was already suspicious enough that it was on the day that she confirmed his thoughts about her being part of ROOT ANBU, and by talking to her now, he knew that there was a lot more to the situation than what he's thinking.

"Will you do that for me?" Koharu turned to him, taking a few steps forward so that she was an arm's reach away.

"…when did your sister pass away?" Shisui asked, watching her closely. She had an overcast of orange, from the sunset coming in from the window. He could see the silvers of her hair, having come out of the high bun that she did today.

 _She really is beautiful,_ he found himself thinking. And, his chest clenched painfully when he realised it.

"Shisui, you look really sad." Koharu pointed out. She took his hand and put the flowers in them. "My sister passed away only a couple of days ago. Her grave is on the outskirts of the village."

"Why do you want me to do it? You're finishing work soon, aren't you?" Shisui held onto the flowers when she pulled her hands away.

"I am, but I have a few things I need to attend to. So, please, go in my stead." She gently patted him on the upper chest, near his shoulder.

He fell silent after a moment, then sighed gently. "Okay, fine."

"Sorry, Shisui. I'll explain to you when you come back." Koharu put her hands together in an apologetic motion, "My sister's name is Momoka, so look for a wooden grave with that name."

* * *

 _Not a cement one, but a wooden one?_ Shisui went to the outskirts after he left the shop. Of course, he wasn't sure if Koharu was lying or not, and why he kept going there, but he was glad he did. Otherwise, he wouldn't be getting anywhere with her.

Shisui spotted a huge tree, and next to it, he found a grave. It was shoddily done, but it was good enough for a grave that wasn't in a cemetery.

 _I wonder if this is Momoka's…and why it isn't in a cemetery._

He read the writing on the wood, then placed down the flowers in front of the cross. He put his hands together.

 _Rest in peace, Momoka._

Once he did, he looked around. It was quite a deserted area, and not one that merchants of any kind would go.

 _Koharu said Momoka died 2 days ago…but why isn't the body in a cemetery? Did Koharu bury her herself?_ Shisui wondered. He took a step back from the grave and examined it.

If anything, whoever knew about where the grave was, was either the killer or the one who had buried them.

 _Koharu's in ROOT ANBU, so she doesn't feel like others do, so—_

Shisui stopped his thoughts, an image of Koharu's request coming to his mind.

 _But if she wanted her family out of the village, then…_

Shisui's brows knitted together in realisation. _Wait a minute. All those who are in ROOT ANBU have no families and are orphans that are trained from when they were young._

 _Doesn't that mean Koharu is…wait, she might be lying again?_

So many thoughts went through his mind that he didn't know what to think. He went off back into Konoha.

* * *

 _I can't see mother anywhere,_ Koharu scanned the area of the Uchiha gates. She was sure that her mother would come by to go get some medicine or get checked.

 _Unless she's not coming, today?_ She wondered with a thoughtful expression.

"Why have you been here so long? You're not waiting for Shisui, are you?"

Koharu didn't even flinch when she heard the voice from beside her. She turned to him, deciding whether or not to let him in on her thinking, considering he had been there for a whole 10 minutes when she was there, just not making a sound until now.

"I'm surprised you're up here, Itachi." Koharu mentioned with a casual smile. "Shouldn't you be at home resting for your next mission?"

When he didn't respond, Koharu looked back to the entrance. "And no, I'm not. I'm waiting for someone else."

"Are you talking about this woman?" Itachi got something out from his pocket. She turned around and took a look, staring at a photograph of her mother.

It was the first time in a while that Koharu had made such an honest expression, of actual surprise.

When Itachi saw it, he chuckled, putting it away. "I've done some research on you."

"You seem to have." Koharu commented with a sigh. "Yes, that's who I was waiting for. She's my mother." She easily let slip. If Itachi had done some research, he would know. If anything, it was already strange that he was right then and there when they never really had any contact apart from when she was with Shisui.

Itachi merely nodded.

 _I see. So Itachi_ does _know. But does that mean Shisui told him, or does that mean he found out by himself?_ Koharu wondered.

"I'm sorry for the loss of your sister." Itachi said after a moment.

Koharu's eyes widened just slightly, and she turned to Itachi with another mound of surprise. "How did you find out?" She spoke gently, but she was assertive in tone.

"I saw what happened. I was following a ROOT who was tailing you."

"So you were stalking my stalker."

"Hm."

"Itachi, is this the first time we're properly talking?" Koharu asked, curious. "If you knew I was part of ROOT, I'm surprised that you didn't tell Shisui."

The prodigy kept silent, mulling over his options. He could very well tell Koharu about what information of hers he had gathered, but he didn't want to do that. What he wanted to know was whether or not Koharu had any shred of emotion left.

He was finding it strange that Koharu was in ROOT ANBU even with her real family alive. Normally, ROOT ANBU don't have families to turn to.

He didn't find too much information, but enough to know that she isn't the typical ROOT ANBU.

 _I'm sure she has a heart,_ Itachi had actually followed her to her sister's grave and was present there the whole time. She didn't notice him at all, but he was there, so he was there to witness whatever humanity the rest of ROOT lacked.

"Anyway, don't worry about keeping this all a secret. Shisui already knows. I plan on telling him everything tonight, or at least very soon." Koharu stood up and prepared to go. Her mother probably wasn't going to come by since she was there the other times, and pretty recently too.

Itachi kept silent. He only decided to meddle in her affairs because he got suspicious. Who was this person who was suddenly so attached to Shisui? What made him look so preoccupied all the time?

"You can stop staring at me now. I'm done here so I'm going home." Koharu gave Itachi a little nod and formed a hand sign, leaving soundlessly like the wind.

Itachi stayed there for a moment longer, knowing that Shisui would come find him.

 _I wonder what she'll decide for the mission Danzo entrusted her._

"Itachi, why are you hiding up a tree?" Shisui laughed when he landed on a branch near the front of the estate. He had looked for Itachi and found him just sitting there, staring at nothing.

"I was relaxing." The younger male responded.

"Relaxing?" Shisui raised a brow, then made a confused expression, "Wait, you never use that word—"

"Don't you have somewhere to be now?" Itachi asked.

"Huh?" The older Uchiha questioned the younger with his eyes.

"Your girlfriend." Itachi spoke monotone, but it ultimately got the older one going.

 _Huh?_ Itachi noticed something a little different. Compared to a few days ago, the Shisui crouching before him now had a different light in his eyes. It was like he had figured something out.

"Oh, yeah, Koharu said she wanted to talk to me." Shisui grinned.

 _Ah. Is she going to go through with the mission?_ Itachi wondered, slightly alarmed. He didn't know Koharu's true nature at all, so he wouldn't know if she would go through with it.

She didn't show any malice earlier when they were together, but that could very well be a fabrication to catch him off guard.

"Okay." Itachi just nodded. He was going to have to follow Shisui.

Shisui grinned and waved at his best mate before jumping off the branch and onto the ground and leaving to go to Koharu's.

 _Oh—there was one more question I forgot to ask her._

 _Was she a lie to Shisui?_


	11. Chapter 11

Rose

Thorn #11

* * *

"You can sit down anywhere, Shisui." Koharu sat on the ground, crossing her legs. It would be considered impolite for a lady, but she didn't care too much for little things like that in front of a person who knew she was a fake.

Shisui stared at her for a moment and then sat down opposite her, mirroring her sitting position. "What did you have to tell me?"

Koharu smiled at him. "What kind of person do you think I am?"

The Uchiha was a little taken aback when she asked a difficult question right off the bat. It may be difficult to say it aloud, but if someone asked a question, unless it was confidential, he would answer.

"Kind, gentle, genuine, optimistic and…" Shisui tore his eyes away from her, "Beautiful."

"I see. What about after?" Koharu wasn't fazed at all, but it did amuse her that it was hard for someone to admit such things, and cause so much embarrassment or humiliation. She told many lies with those lips, after all.

Shisui fell silent, but he then spoke. "A liar."

Koharu's lips were curled slightly, but it wasn't because she was happy, but rather relieved that somebody had found out. "I guess you could say that. Then, what about now? What are you thinking?"

 _I already know,_ she thought, _but let's talk a little bit before going to whatever I need to say._

"…that you're beating around the bush." Shisui said. "I'm surprised, you're ROOT but you don't seem like one."

Koharu stared directly at his onyx hues.

 _So he_ did _get my hint after all. But did he think the correct way?_

She was silent for a long moment, then chuckled lightly and shrugged. "What makes you think I'm ROOT?"

"I overheard you talking to Danzo."

"I see." She got up and made her way to the kitchen, where she got two cups to fill with water. She handed one to Shisui when she sat back down. "No, it's not poisoned, and yes, I am a part of ROOT."

Shisui stared at the water, at his own reflection. He was making a somewhat pained looking expression. When he was with her, it is easy for his face to betray neutrality with his real emotions.

"If you're wondering if I'm lying," She put down the cup, "No, I'm not. I can be pretty honest when I want to be."

"So I take it that this is something you 'want' now." The Uchiha half stated half questioned.

The girl nodded. "Alright, so what I meant to explain to you before you went to Momoka's grave was that she was murdered a couple of days ago."

"Murdered?" Shisui questioned with the crease of his brows. He looked up at the woman.

Koharu nodded. "I had to dispose of her body."

"Did you…?" Shisui wondered. The image of her getting away from the corpse of the highly sought after murderer flashed into his mind.

Koharu just smiled, but didn't answer his question. "She's resting in peace now, so I'm glad. Are there any other questions that you want to ask?"

Shisui wondered if she killed her own sister. He was sure she didn't, but he didn't know, because she was being cryptic again.

 _Was it Danzo's doing? That would make sense. Though, I doubt she'd answer that question._

"Why are you with ROOT?" He asked. It was a question that was pretty broad if made to be, but it would also end up with a narrow answer. He hoped she answered it with lots of information.

"Some things happened when my family and I came to Konoha, so…this is the result. Danzo is my superior so he's keeping me in ROOT."

… _keeping? This all of a sudden doesn't seem to be about her that much anymore. I'm getting confused._

"You're confused." She laughed lightly and went to go lean against the bed.

"Why wouldn't I be?" The ANBU had a frown that was halfway between a frown and a pout. He adjusted his position so that he was facing her a little more. He continued, "I didn't know you were a ninja and in ROOT, and I only found out a few days ago. Now you're telling me all these other things; why wouldn't I be confused?"

"…fair enough. It's quite complicated, really, but long story short, I'm in ROOT because of my family." Koharu summed up.

"Your family…" Shisui trailed off. He stared at her browns with his own onyx, searching, trying to find something that would give her true thoughts and intention away. Unfortunately, she was guarded.

"Are you perhaps thinking that I am a different type of ROOT compared to others?" Koharu already knew what Shisui would be thinking, what kind of questions he would ask and what not. After all, he was someone who would know details, and is the type of person easily able to deduce something quickly, regardless if they're right or wrong.

 _He's the type of person who gets it right on the mark most of the time,_ Koharu thought, _as expected of him._

Shisui's brows rose but it confirmed Koharu's thinking.

"…yeah, I guess you could say I'm a different type of ROOT. After all, I'm sure you've noticed but ROOT don't have families. I'm the only exception." The flower shop owner took a sip of water from her mug. "I'm also sure that you've thought of the possibilities of me, am I correct in my thinking?"

Shisui merely nodded. He knew that she wasn't dumb, so she probably already anticipated his answer.

He just doesn't know if she's a cunning woman or a woman of horrible tastes, or if she was just a liar that was working to protect herself or Danzo.

"So, then, since you think I'm a liar, why are you meeting with me today? I could very well be lying right now." She mused with a smile. "After all, this smile was what enthralled you in the first place, was it not?"

Shisui's brows rose and he looked at down at his feet. She was difficult to understand through her words, but she was also easy to understand. He felt that half the time he was talking to her, she was just playing it up with small talk that could easily be misunderstood.

 _Why is she doing this, then?_

"At first, when Danzo gave me the mission to befriend you, I wondered why he wanted to do that," Koharu leaned forward and got on her knees, placing her hand down on the ground near Shisui's feet. She brought her hand forward and pressed it on Shisui's chest, pushing him with enough force that he hit the ground.

"What are you—" Shisui's became flustered.

Koharu put her knees on either side of his waist, bringing her hand to the side of his head, her right hand moving from his chest to his cheek, where she brushed under his eye with the side of her index finger.

His face flared with red at the position. It was awkward.

"You're an interesting person, I'll have to admit," Koharu didn't smile when she spoke, she just kept her neutral expression, boring her eyes into his own, "so it was fun. I'm happy to have made your acquaintance, Shisui. It was never boring with you."

Her hand that was previously on his face lowered to his neck, where her nails lightly scraped his skin. "Do you know what my next assignment is?" Her voice had lowered to a whisper.

Shisui, having recovered from the awkward positioning, just listened to her words, unflinching, unmoving.

Then, he spoke. "Koharu, I don't know what goes on in that head of yours."

 _Hm?_ She noticed that he spoke softly, almost like when they were together by themselves in the flower shop.

"You're a mystery. When I think I know what is going on, you confuse me further," He reached up with his hand, bringing it to her cheek, where he just held her there. "How much of that time did you spend with me, how much was it wasted on effort on acting?"

"All of it," She traced his jawline, "but it's up to you to decide which one. After all, to you, I'm just a liar."

 _She's just a liar._

"Is your next assignment to kill me?" Shisui questioned suddenly, voice back to normal tone.

"How did you guess?" She chuckled lightly, taking a knife out of her back. She brought it up close to the Uchiha. "Well, now, it was nice knowing you." She brought it down to his neck, and sliced.

Shisui was confused.

The knife hit a spider that was crawling on the wall, stabbing it straight there. He didn't even notice it was there until she had thrown the knife.

"…bullseye…?" He said, unsure.

Koharu chuckled at his reaction to her killing the spider. She poked his nose before getting off him and standing up to get to the knife in the wall, catching the dead spider with her hands to dispose of it.

As she did that, Shisui sat back up, touching his neck lightly. She didn't harm him, but he felt like he would die if he blinked. She was in ANBU and someone who wouldn't hesitate in killing, so it surprised him.

 _Wasn't it her assignment to kill me?_ Shisui wondered. _Or was she just doing a show to kill that spider and intimidate me, that she can kill me anytime?_

"That scared you a little bit, didn't it?" Koharu came back, laughing lightly. She was cleaning off her knife and put it back from where she got it.

"Why didn't you do it?" Shisui asked, genuinely curious. If he was her assignment, why didn't she? After all, she did do all the current things that Danzo asked of her.

"I guess it's because it's unreasonable. You're trying to help out the village, aren't you? If I killed a good Samaritan like you, what would others think of me? I'd just be a heartless person."

 _She's not voicing her own thoughts,_ Shisui noticed.

He went along with her anyway, "You aren't a heartless person."

His words would have caused her to look at him in surprise if she wasn't so guarded.

"That, I'm not sure about." She smiled and offered him her hand. He took it and she pulled him up with ease.

"Can I ask a question?" Shisui started. She hummed in response. "Koharu, is your family being held hostage?" His sudden words caused her to raise a brow.

 _He really is sharp,_ she thought. _Not bad._

"Even if they were, I can't really do much about it." She ended up sticking honestly to her words. It was true, there were eyes everywhere. She'd need to have the help of an insider if she were to escape from the village and Danzo. Either that, or kill the man.

"But you're trying, right? That request of yours from before. You're not as heartless as you make yourself out to be." Shisui's last sentence made Koharu's brows crease.

 _As if I need you to tell me that,_ she thought bitterly.

"I think you should go home now, Shisui." Koharu gently pushed him behind the shoulders to the door. "Have a good night." She hurriedly pushed Shisui out the door and began to close it, but the Uchiha had wedged his foot in between.

"Can I ask another question?" He tried.

"What is it?" She sighed and opened the door just a little further and he slipped his foot away.

"Did you ever feel the same way about me that I did you?" His voice suddenly seemed too small, but he was hanging onto that rope, that rope of desperation that he hoped would reciprocate the time and effort that he thought of her, the feelings that developed for her.

Koharu didn't speak for a long moment, then exhaled slowly.

"Goodnight, Shisui."

The lingering of her eyes before she closed the door was almost like an afterimage of something that he longed for.

Was she cruel? No. Did she hate him? No.

She just didn't answer his question.


	12. Chapter 12

Rose

Thorn #12

* * *

 _I nearly lost it back there._

Koharu's back was to the door. Her breathing was even but she was feeling at a loss. She didn't answer him. He was gone now, but she was still there, leaning against the door.

 _I guess my answer to not killing him was good, but…he looked so sad when I closed the door on him._

She sighed gently to herself and went to make some dinner. As she was, she just couldn't get the image of Shisui out of her mind, and the sadness that reflected in his eyes when he was reminded time and time again that she was only doing her mission, that she was lying to his face about their relationship.

 _Why…does my chest hurt so much?_

* * *

"You didn't do your mission." Danzo stated, his fingers intertwined and his gaze hard on her.

The flower shop owner, in her usual flower shop apron and casual clothes, just smiled. "I never said when I'll get it done."

Danzo grunted and narrowed his eyes—he was suspicious of her. Very suspicious. A few nights ago, a ROOT that was stationed outside her home was knocked unconscious when she was inside with Shisui, so he doesn't know what happened.

"Plus, you never said when I should have it done." She smiled at him innocently, because all she said was true.

Danzo's nose wrinkled and his frown deepened just slightly behind his hands.

"Then, you will kill him on—"

* * *

 _He chose the date of the coup,_ Koharu pressed her lips together. She was sure he was up to something. There was no way that he didn't know the day of the coup and there was _definitely no way_ that it was a coincidence.

Danzo isn't someone of coincidences, after all.

 _If it was like this, doesn't it mean that Danzo is there to dispose of Shisui? Doesn't that mean that regardless of him doing anything to help the clan of Uchiha and the village, Danzo is really just doing whatever he wants in his own calculating cold ways?_

Koharu frowned. Even for an old calculating geezer that was a horrible thing.

 _Well, I'll be damned. It's either kill him or mum dies._

After Koharu had heard the date of when she would have to kill Shisui on, a couple of other ANBU came in with her mother.

She was shocked that they had brought her to that place, and was even more so when she saw her for the first time in many months. She was pale, had lost weight, and she looked like she didn't have any shred of happiness left in her.

 _That's…mother?_ Koharu had thought at that time. She was 100% sure it was, but at the same time, the woman also didn't seem to be her mother at all.

"You know what will happen should you disobey." The elder seemed to almost be smiling through his words, but he himself was saying them harshly.

Koharu didn't have any change in expression. Had she had any, Danzo and the other ANBU would pick up on it and expose it as a weakness.

Whoever the better actor was whoever won.

Koharu had left then to go back to her shop after the lunch break, but passing by her mother, she heard these words that nearly made her stop right then and there.

"Who is she? I don't have any daughters."

Back at the store, she hid her troubles by wishing customers a good day and staring at the beautiful flowers that adorned her shop. But, she couldn't stop replaying the words her mother said in her mind.

 _What happened in all these months? She was able to recognise me before…?_ Koharu thought long and hard about it, and ultimately it led to her decision on what she would do the next week.

 _Mother, is ill. How much is she suffering? She couldn't even remember me, nor could she remember Momoka._

Koharu hardened her heart and her resolve.

 _That's not my mother anymore. She's just an empty shell._

* * *

On the day of the coup, Shisui walked into the flower store. He wasn't sure what was going to happen today, so he wanted to see her a while before he had to start his mission.

"Koharu?" Shisui opened the door and walked in, the familiar ringing of the bell telling everyone that he had entered.

 _She's not here?_ He wondered, looking around. He heard something from the back, and he went there to check out what was happening. Was she at the back doing something? When he went close enough, he peered in, seeing her tidying something up, seemingly deep in thought.

"Koharu?" said Shisui as he took a step inside the back to announce his presence.

She turned to him with a somewhat surprised expression, but then, she disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"What?" The ninja blinked a few times.

 _Was that just a clone?_ He wondered. He stepped out to the store front to wait for her.

Koharu arrived 5 minutes later, holding a couple of paper bags of food and drinks. "I got us some lunch." She smiled at him and handed him the bag.

"You didn't need to." He said, sighing lightly. For some reason, he felt at ease. That was, until she passed him to sit behind the counter. "Blood?" It was a faint scent, but he could smell it.

Koharu looked up at him briefly, then closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, exhaling with control. "I was sure I washed it all off." She sat down and opened her food to start eating.

Shisui just stared at her. Did she just kill someone?

"I killed my mother." Koharu responded to his questions.

The Uchiha's mouth gaped at her. She was so nonchalant about it, almost uncaring. It was different from what Itachi said about her.

"Don't worry too much about it. She was on the verge of death anyway." Koharu continued on to eat her food.

Shisui sighed lightly, "I'm more worried about you than anything. She was your mother, it's hard to imagine you not giving a damn when she dies. Especially by your own hand."

Koharu stared at him for a long, long time, then finally, her shoulders relaxed, and she let her real expressions show. There was no point in putting up such a farce, not on this day.

"Of course I'm sad." She put the food down and matched his eyes, showing the anguish over the decision to kill her own mother. "She is my mother, for God's sake. But if you saw her, you would believe me. At first, I didn't even believe my own eyes, but, she doesn't even remember me, nor does she remember Momoka. She's just an empty shell with my mother's face." The distress that was in her voice was genuine, and she hoped that the Uchiha didn't take it for another lie.

"I'm happy I'm getting to see what you're really thinking and feeling right now." Shisui reached over to flick her forehead, surprising the woman when he smiled. It was a strange sight for him, but he didn't mind it.

"W-what?!" She was expecting him to be surprised but he wasn't. This was weird. It confused her. "How can you believe me so easily? Aren't I just another liar to you? I've lied to you this whole time, how can you still—"

"I don't believe you were lying the whole time." He interrupted her. "I find it hard to believe that you would fake it the entire time."

"Aren't you just trying to make yourself feel better by thinking I actually had a thing for you?" Koharu's tongue slipped and she pressed her lips together, her hand coming to her mouth.

 _Shit…! I said something I shouldn't've._

Shisui, on the other hand, just blinked at her. Then, he laughed. And, it was a joyful one.

"W-what are you laughing at?!" She pressed her hands to the desk, cheeks pink. She was a little embarrassed, and, he was the one causing it.

"When you're not acting you're very interesting." Shisui complimented.

"I don't know if you're a masochist or what." She hissed at him. She sighed deeply, continuing to eat. She took one bite, chewing it slowly, and then talked, "What's with you today? I thought you'd be heartbroken that I just stomped all over your feelings."

"You didn't give me an answer." Shisui took a sip of the drink. "And, I thought I'd be around you more to see what you're really like."

Koharu just looked at him with the strangest expression. If anything, finding out that she was a liar and an actress that didn't really love him would be heartbreaking enough and they'd move on easily or hate her, but for some reason, Shisui wasn't like that. He stayed, for reasons unknown.

 _I thought he was only coming by to find out what kind of motive I had?_ Her brows creased slightly, _but that doesn't seem to be the case? What happened between when I kicked him out and now?_

"Well, this is what I'm normally like when I'm not acting. I'm not some sweet innocent cute girl like I portray myself to be." Koharu waved it off and continued to eat, not sure whether or not she liked this kind of atmosphere.

If it were her acting and Shisui being in love with that act, it would just be this cutesy kind of atmosphere. Not her thing.

"I find it fun." Shisui honestly said. He always found it strange that she was so nice, and he wondered if she ever had a bone to joke with in her when she was acting as that. "It's refreshing to see a new you."

"For you, maybe, but for me, this is how I've always been. Having to stick it up and act all nice and happy all the time, it's a little tiring. But for business, I've got to do it." Koharu finished off her food. "So, what exactly are you doing here anyway? Don't you hate me by now?"

"I don't hate you." Shisui shook his head, "If anything…I," He laughed a little, "probably still like you. But, I also pity you."

"So, why do you pity me?" Koharu was interested in what he had to say. It wasn't every day that someone who was previously interested, came back and talked to her comfortably, least of all say they pitied her.

"Itachi told me about you." Shisui said after a light intermission. He had told him everything that he had known about her, what he had researched about her when Shisui asked after he got kicked out of Koharu's home the other night.

He watched her eyes widen, as if she realised exactly what Itachi had told him.

"So, that means you know, huh." Koharu tapped her fingers once against the table. "Well, no matter. It's not like it was supposed to be a huge secret anyway."

She paused, then narrowed her eyes slightly at the Uchiha, a single brow raising, "Don't tell me that because Itachi told you about me, you have a more open mind and am now tackling this without any problems like you did before?"

Shisui laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, I guess you could say that."

Koharu shook her head, "You're seriously something else. I'm seriously starting to wonder if you're really just a huge M."

Shisui blushed lightly, but it didn't seem to be from her words. "Well, it's because I like you so much that I'm making an effort, you know?"

Koharu's lips parted in surprise. She tried to form some words, but nothing came out. She covered her eyes with a hand as she looked away, shaking her head.

"You're seriously something else if you're confessing to me right now! You're so persistent!" Koharu slapped the hand covering her face to the table gently.

"That's because I like you." He grinned at her.

Koharu sighed with defeat, laying down onto her arms on the table, to try and hide her light blush.

She didn't hate Shisui but she was sure that he would back off after finding that she wasn't what he expected. But, he came back and she has no idea how to deal with him, nor the bottled up feelings that she had. Plus, it wasn't everyday someone just up and confessed to her so easily.

"So, I want to hear your answer." Shisui placed a hand to the back of her head. "If you're being truthful with me right now, I want to hear it."

Koharu hummed with light content when he rubbed her head; it made her feel sleepy. He stifled a laugh.

"If you really want to hear my answer," Koharu thought of she was going to do. Her mission was to assassinate Shisui, but she had other plans. The first step had already been achieved just before. The woman lifted herself up to face Shisui, "Come to the training grounds and I'll tell you my answer there."

"The training grounds?"

"Yeah. We'll meet when I finish work." Koharu saw the look on Shisui's face change just slightly. He was deliberating over something.

"Alright." He nodded. "I have something to do after, so it can't be too long."

"Relax, it won't take too long." She rolled her eyes.

Shisui relaxed his shoulders and finished off his meal. "Thanks for not putting on an act today." He gave her one of his wonderful smiles that made her skip a breath.

"Why are you suddenly…?"

"I think I like you even more now." If his smile could become wider, it did. "It's fun to talk like this."

"You're not embarrassed at all, are you?" Koharu deadpanned. Shisui was definitely a strange one, one that she'd never encountered before. But, that made him all the more interesting to her, maybe more so than before. "I wonder how long you can keep this up."

"I'll do it for however long it takes for you to like me back." Shisui declared.

"I don't know if you're idiotic or if you're just really annoyingly persistent." Koharu laughed lightly at how he sounded so childish. She stood up and put the rubbish into the bin.

"I should get back to work. I'll see you after work, then." The Uchiha waved at her with a huge grin on his face, already by the door.

"I guess I'll see you later, then." Koharu couldn't help but match his grin. He had made her gloomy day a lot better, and she was thankful for that. She waved at him as he left.

 _He sure is persistent, the guy,_ the thought made her laugh. He was certainly trying really hard, and she didn't dislike it.

Of course, even though she wasn't acting now, she was still as fond of Shisui as before.

 _Oh, who am I kidding…_ she wanted to laugh bitterly at herself for denying it the whole time.

She shook her head to herself and cleaned up the table, preoccupying herself with the plan of action on that day.

 _Sorry, Shisui. But business comes first._

* * *

Koharu wondered if she was a bit too happy. It was a relief that she didn't need to put up an act for Shisui, and they were meeting soon, but the plan she had in mind was something a little dangerous.

She pulled her hair up into a tight bun as she closed shop.

She took a good look around the store, smiling contently. Then, she went over to the roses and clipped one off, making sure to take off the thorns. She dipped half the stem of it in a clear liquid that she had by the counter.

She made sure to close up and head to the training grounds, hoping he wasn't waiting for her. If she got there first, the better.

While she headed to the grounds, she wondered if it would be easy to fight in her current attire of a dress and flats. She did have weapons on her, but they were small and buckled to her thighs.

 _I guess this is for the better,_ she thought, staring at the red rose. She twirled it back and forth between her fingers.

 _Shisui is planning to do the coup thing tonight to get them to overturn their decision. I'm almost 100% certain that Danzo picked this day so that I can get rid of Shisui._

 _Hm…I'm also certain that Danzo will be watching. He definitely has the ROOTs monitoring me, and I'm sure he won't just sit back. After all, he's planning on stopping Shisui by himself, I believe. Well, there's only a 70% chance of that. But I think he'll come, knowing he can't trust me anymore._

Koharu didn't mind thinking and making plans on what to do, but it tired her out that she had to think about Danzo a lot. He was already a pain in the ass, what could she do about it?

She sighed, picking a petal off the rose and staring at it.

 _When it's off its stem it can't grow anymore. No thorns, no petals…it just withers._

"Why the sigh?" Shisui popped up in front of her, but she didn't flinch at all. She merely slapped the petal onto his forehead.

"Good evening to you too, Shisui." She smiled at him.

He blinked a couple of times, wondering what she did, and took the petal off his forehead. He wasn't sure whether or not he was handing it back to her, so he just kept it in his hand.

"Good evening." His lips formed into a smile. "So, your answer?"

"So impatient, Shisui." She laughed lightly and played around with the petals of the rose a little, then she went to playing with the end of the stem. "What do you think the rose symbolises?"

Shisui raised a brow.

 _Is she being cryptic again?_ He wondered. He didn't really know the actual meaning but he did hear from a few other Uchiha that in the language of flowers, it had something to do with love. That's why he kept getting them for his parents.

"If I could take a picture of your confused face right now that would be great," She chuckled, "It's just as you're thinking right now."

"Oh." Shisui made an 'o' with his lips. "Wait—"

"If I had 12 roses that might be a better thing in this situation. Because, that means 'I love you', or 'be mine'." Koharu cut him off with an almost apologetic smile.

Shisui's expression fell just slightly, but for some odd reason, there was still a spark in them.

"So what does one rose mean?" He pointed to the one that was currently in Koharu's hands.

She looked at the rose in her hands, and then at the end of the stem. She was currently sharpening it into a sharp tip.

"Well, one rose can actually mean several things. Like love and longing, but that's just a generalisation." She covered the bottom part of the stem and put it to Shisui's nose, where he got a whiff of the fragrance. "Incidentally, single roses can also be used to symbolise 'I love you' as well, or something along the lines of that."

She was being a bit vague, but that was only because she was trying to sense if other ANBU were close by. She saw Shisui shift a little.

 _So, he felt it too, huh,_ Koharu realised when his eyes moved just slightly to the side, so slightly that if she blinked, she wouldn't have caught it. But, she did. _They're making their presence low but that won't fool me._

Shisui's attention was still on her, even though he felt the presence of someone else.

"Does that mean—" There was some sort of shock in his voice, and a hopefulness in it that made Koharu want to just hug him.

He wasn't a bad guy and he took care of her really well; in fact, he was probably the most perfect match for her.

Koharu just smiled at him, but didn't answer. Instead, she infused some chakra into the flower and threw it into the trees, where she heard a cry of pain.

"Sorry, but I think we'll need to continue another time." Koharu turned to where the eavesdropper had dropped. She started walking over to them, seeing the flower lodged straight in their heart.

 _RIP, some random ANBU,_ she knelt down and pulled the rose out of him, seeing him twitch uncontrollably, then still.

"What did you do to him?" Shisui's brows creased and he activated his sharingan.

"I killed him, obviously. The rose was poisoned." She answered nonchalantly. "Danzo probably sent him and a few others to come monitor me and you."

"Huh?" Shisui grabbed Koharu by the waist and jumped up into a tree, holding her close so that she wouldn't fall.

"Uh, I can take care of myself thank you very much." She put the rose in his face, "Also, it was just the tip that was poisoned so don't worry about it. And also, didn't you have something to do after this—"

"Change of plans." He responded quickly.

Shisui kept moving, using that ultra-fast speed of his that he became famous for.

"Ah, they're still following us. Should we just face them head on?" The female ROOT questioned the ANBU. She saw two ROOTs that were following their trail.

Shisui didn't respond. He was busy thinking of the current situation at hand, and thinking of how he was going to do it. He didn't want Koharu to come to any danger, even if she could protect herself. But at the moment, it would be hard to, considering ROOT ANBU were after them, and not just one. If there were two already, then there would be more. Which means to say that Danzo was out to kill them both.

"Well, they certainly showed themselves early." Koharu mused with a light hearted laugh. She patted Shisui on the back, "Hey, let me down, I want to talk to them."

"What? No! They'll just kill you if you do!"

"Yeah, but, it'll give you time to run, right?"

"What—"

 _Is she planning on dying?!_

Shisui jumped to another tree branch and soon he was out in the open. He jumped to the middle and Koharu jumped out of his arms, landing on the ground. She knelt down on it, pressing her fingers to figure out how many were coming after them.

"The two that were following us stopped." Koharu's brows creased and she looked to the side, "And there's someone coming this way. It's that old man that I want to punch in the face." She scowled.

Shisui turned to match her, a scowl also falling onto his lips.

"I take it that you're not going to go through with the mission, Koharu?" Danzo stabbed his cane into the ground each time he walked.

"What do you mean? I'm going to get that mission over and done with today." She responded to him. She winced slightly, narrowing her eyes when she felt her stomach churn and her vision go slightly hazy. "I still have time."

Danzo stopped about 5 metres away from them. He just watched Koharu, then Shisui.

And, his lips curled into a smile. "You certainly do."

"So why are you here?" Koharu questioned. Her leg and finger twitched, almost like a minor spasm.

"I'm here to collect what I need to, and dispose what I need to."

"Hah, I thought so." Koharu chuckled, hiding the sudden pain that was cursing through her body. "And just how are you going to do that?" She hid her twitching hand behind her body.

"Countermeasures have already been made." The minute Danzo spoke those words, Koharu knew.

"You…" She growled lowly at him, "When did you…?"

"Just today, when you went to meet Shisui."

Shisui looked to her twitching hand, brows creasing. It wasn't happening before, so what was the problem now?

"Sugaru...where is he?" Koharu hissed. She reached under her dress, touching and instilling each of the weapons she had concealed under there, with chakra. She shakily put her hands together, her breathing becoming laboured the longer it dragged on.

 _Shit…how careless of me to get poisoned like this. When?_ Koharu thought hard, then realised that Sugaru, a ninja part of the Aburame bug clan, had come to pay her a visit and remind her of her mission today.

 _I didn't even realise!_

It was at this point that Danzo charged forward. Shisui grabbed Koharu by the arm and pulled her aside, throwing her away from him as he grabbed Danzo's arm and forced him away, starting a fight that only the elite could follow.

Koharu pulled herself up, wincing greatly at the sinking feeling of poison in her veins.

 _Shit…is this poison a quick acting one? Then, I've got to quickly—_

She ripped the weapons away from her thigh buckle, wincing when she accidently scraped herself with them. They weren't poisoned, but they were sharp.

She put her hands together shakily and took a few deep breaths to try and calm her elevating heartrate, and to control whatever chakra she could. She put together hand signs, but they were slower than normal—an effect of the poison, and let the weapons fly towards their target.

"Shisui, get out of the way." Koharu shouted loud enough for him to hear. Even her voice had greatly weakened, but she fought through, her nails digging into her skin to keep her hands together, to keep the weapons in the air.

It was a jutsu that she had learnt to use from her father. It wasn't something she used often because of the strain of chakra, but right now, it was her plan.

Shisui jumped back when he saw the weapons, and Danzo pulled back to defend himself, dodging them when it rained down on him.

"Not quite…!" The girl stomped her foot on the ground to stand up, forcing the weapons to follow after Danzo, wherever he may be.

Doing anything but running away, the elder ran to her.

It was then that Shisui came to her, about to bring her away, but she knew better. She pushed him away with as much force as she could, and let Danzo come to her, letting him grab her by the throat tightly, choking her. Her hands came undone as she put them around his hands, trying to release his grip of her.

"KOHARU!" Shisui skidded to a halt.

"You're persistent." Danzo muttered to the girl. He got out a kunai, but his single eye widened when he felt a searing pain through his right arm and leg, and then pain through the arm and hand of the arm he was using. "You—"

He saw her hands together in the same signage as before. She was just making a show out of trying to stop him from choking her, however, she had other plans.

She coughed harshly when she hit the ground, wheezing. However, even if her vision was fading and her body wasn't properly listening to her, she persisted. She wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"I…severely damaged…your ligaments…and tendons…" Koharu panted, "If…you move them anymore…you won't be able…to use it…again…" She gritted her teeth together and used the last of her chakra to move the few senbon that stuck inside Danzo's body deeper, trying to twist them and cause permanent damage.

Danzo collapsed onto his good knee, a scream coming from his lips when he crumbled.

Koharu's vision wavered, slipping in and out of consciousness. She couldn't hold her hands together anymore, and she fell to her side, releasing her hold of weapons.

Shisui caught her before she fell and checked if she was breathing. "Hey, Koharu, stay awake here, you got that?"

Koharu didn't really respond to him and her eyes closed. Her body felt like it was on fire, her insides felt like they were getting blended in a mixer. She breathed heavily in his arms.

He put her down slowly, seeing Danzo get up, pulling the weapons out of him. "That took a while to work." He pushed himself off the ground. He stood on his good leg, making sure that he didn't use the other due to the damage caused to them.

"Shisui…run…" Koharu managed to say between ragged breaths. "He wants…you dead…coup…no trust…"

"She's as good as dead." Danzo raised his affected arm and a group of ROOT ANBU jumped out from the forest, having been there observing the fight.

Shisui narrowed his eyes at them as they came charging at him. But, while he did that, it was only a distraction for Danzo to make his move and come up from behind, taking his right eye when Shisui just realised he did so.

The Uchiha shouted out in pain, covering his eye as pain struck his eye area.

"That's one down." Danzo spoke. He winced when he moved slightly forward; the aftereffects of Koharu puncturing certain points in his body.

 _I can't let this happen…!_ Shisui glanced to where Koharu lay. She was still breathing, but her face had gone pale.

He knew that Danzo was currently after him, now that Koharu was incapacitated. He clenched his molars together and threw down a smoke bomb, hurriedly taking Koharu with him as he fled.

* * *

Shisui's vision wavered when he looked at Koharu, who he had put on the ground. They had reached the cliff where Itachi and he normally went to. Itachi was there too; having helped them out just before to escape ROOT.

 _How is she able to hold on so much?_ Shisui wondered, standing up.

Just after they had left the scene beneath the shield of the smoke bomb, the ROOT had come after them, attacking Shisui left and right. Of course he had trouble protecting both Koharu and himself, but Koharu had forced herself to come awake, and with great resilience, she managed to take down a few of them via the leftover weapons she still had, even though she coughed up and cried blood.

It amazed him that she was still trying to stay conscious, even though he knew that she would be in incredible pain while doing so.

After that, Itachi took care of the rest of them, having come back early from a mission based on a bad feeling. He was the one who brought both Shisui and Koharu there, supporting the both of them.

"Itachi…thanks…" Koharu croaked out, voice hoarse. She wheezed with difficulty, her hand coming to her chest to grip it, but she just couldn't, and turned to her side instead. She could barely see anything anymore, just dark outlines with an orange background. She thought she started hearing things, too.

Itachi leaned down to her, checking her pulse. He wasn't sure how long she would last.

"Shisui…" Koharu spoke his name weakly, the opposite of each time she called him with a happy smile.

Shisui leaned down, still stable, even after he had inhaled some poison gas and gotten bitten by Aburame's bugs. He had yet to lose his vision or control of his body.

"Koharu."

"I'm…sorry, I'm…sorry…" She repeated. She reached out her arm to him, but couldn't find him. Her senses were all a mess.

Shisui noticed what she was doing and took her hand to hold it, just like he always did when they were back in the flower shop.

 _I have so much to say, but I can't say it all. I anticipated this to happen but—_

"You don't need to say anything. I know." Shisui was smiling; more like, he was forcing a smile on his face while his only eye glistened with tears.

Itachi stood up and took a few steps away, letting them have their space. He wasn't sure if he was right in giving Shisui the information that he had on Koharu, but it seemed to work out for the better in the end.

 _Not that the ending's a happy one,_ he found himself thinking.

Koharu used her other arm, moving it with all her might, to where she placed the rose. She had put it into her bun so that it wouldn't get lost so easily, and took it out with a pained expression. She held it, but it shook violently in her hand.

"Shisui…here…" She gave it to him.

With a puzzled look, he took it.

"I'm going…to give you…that…so…we're even…now…okay?" She forced herself to smile, even when it hurt and her eyes bled.

Shisui's only eye widened when he remembered that he had given her a rose on their date to the festival. Back then, he gave it to her because he felt that he should convey his feelings in the form of something that she was familiar with.

"Koharu…I," Shisui's lips barely whispered her name. The conversation earlier with her before they were interrupted by the ANBU went through his mind, and he felt his chest clench tightly in realisation to the meaning of what she was trying to convey.

Her hand moved from his hand and followed up his arm, until it came to his face. Her touch was like a feather, so gentle, so light, as if she was trying to figure out where something was.

She wanted to laugh, because the moment was too serious, but it was too painful to. Instead, she gently tapped the back of Shisui's neck as a motion for him to come forward, in which he did. "If…the outcome…was different…I'd have been…happy."

She pulled Shisui closer and pushed herself slightly off the ground, arm around him. Her lips brushed against his; a fleeting moment that seemed to have lasted forever.

"See…you…Shisui…" Koharu let her weight fall on the Uchiha. She couldn't hold herself up anymore, and she couldn't keep herself conscious any longer.

"Koharu?" Shisui whispered her name. Her body was still warm, but the heat was slowly fading, and her heartrate was slowing at a rapid pace, too. "Koharu? Koharu!"

He said her name several times, but none of them reached her.

Shisui held her body for a few more moments, letting the tears freely fall. Then, after a moment, he put her down and situated the rose behind her ear, and stood up, wiped his tears, and faced Itachi.

"I…don't have much longer to live, either." Shisui confessed. "I got bitten by the same bug that Koharu got done in by, and I inhaled that poison gas."

Itachi's eyes widened ever so slightly as Shisui continued to talk, about the coup, about his plan, how it failed, and what he was going to do now.

"He'll probably come after my left eye, too," Then, Shisui took out his last remaining eye, "Before that happens, I want you to have it."

Itachi was speechless. But, he knead his chakra and a crow came from the sky, stopping at Shisui's hand. Shisui's eye united with the crow's one, and the avian left with an almost humanistic nod.

"There is one more thing that I want to give you." Shisui turned his back to Itachi. "The Mangekyou Sharingan."

At this words, Itachi had a bad feeling. Heck, he had a bad feeling about the whole situation since Danzo interfered.

"Kill me, Itachi."

Itachi didn't say anything, but his mind screamed for Shisui to reconsider.

"I told you, didn't I? I've got poison in me. I doubt I'd last any longer anyway. It's better to die giving you a new power." Shisui turned back around and went to where Koharu's body was, picking her up and going back to where he stood before, his back to him.

Itachi hesitantly took shaky steps forward, hot tears coming down his cheeks. However, he held back his sobs.

"Itachi. I'm glad to have met you." Shisui spoke his words genuinely, a smile on his face, "I leave the rest to you."

Itachi's fingers pressed into Shisui's back, and with whatever strength he could muster, pushed him off the cliff and into the raging waters below.

Shisui felt the cold wind bruise his skin. It almost felt like he was free of his burdens, except he wished that everything could have ended a different way—a happier way.

He could almost feel Itachi's sadness from up where the cliff was. He knew that by leaving before he did, that would mean that Itachi would have to shoulder all the burden by himself. But, he knew Itachi could do it.

As for Koharu, he held her close for his impending death. The rose that he had put behind her ear had started to lose its petals, letting them fall the opposite of them until there were no petals left.

 _With no thorns, no petals…it is only but a withered rose._


	13. Extra

Rose

Extra

* * *

A black cloak adorned with red clouds fluttered in the wind when the figure approached Konoha. He wore a cone hat, with paper that hung around it to shield his face. He didn't come alone, but with a comrade that was the same organisation as he.

"I'm hungry," Kisame, his companion with blue skin and the same cloak, spoke, rubbing his stomach.

"We'll have something after." Itachi, now a few years older, picked up his stride as he walked to the makeshift graves that he made at the outskirts of his former village.

"Hm? Who are these people?" Kisame questioned his comrade, looking at the three graves.

Itachi stared at them. One was of Momoka, and the other two Shisui and Koharu. Of course, nobody but he knew that only Momoka's grave was the one that contained a body; the other two never did. It was just a wooden stick stuck in a little mound of dirt.

The Uchiha didn't respond to his blue skinned partner.

He only reminisced about the past, about the times he spent together with his best friend, and the girl who his best friend treasured.

He remembered when Shisui told him the story of Koharu and Sasuke, where his little brother, who was young at that time, had asked Koharu if she was going to marry Shisui. Itachi thought it was an amusing thing and wondered why Sasuke would ask. He was too embarrassed to answer so he never got one.

Even so, they would probably have ended up that way had they not both been born into such a horrible world of unrest and death.

If they were alive, Itachi wondered if they would be married by now, with kids on the way. It was a bittersweet thought, but one that was just a flicker of his imagination.

"Leaving so quickly?" Kisame followed after Itachi when the shorter went off, this time with a slower stride.

"You were hungry, weren't you?" Itachi slightly turned his head to look at the Mist ninja.

He just laughed and followed Itachi, "Lead the way!"

The prodigy Uchiha just walked forward onto the path he created for himself.

… _maybe if fate was not so cruel._


End file.
